Side Friend

by skitty-chi

When Nico writes a book that gets published, it soon gets turned into a movie that Will Solace, American sweetheart, stars in as the main character, Nate Castiline. The thing is, Nico has been in love with Will as an actor for years and Will has been a huge fan of the author for almost as long. But there's a catch: nobody knows that Nico's the author.

35. Epilogue-Epilogue

Deadline, what's a deadline? Time isn't real.

Here is is, the rumored Epilogue-Epilogue that literally consumed my entire existence for about several months

DISCLAIMER: Don't own the characters, just the story

...

All was well, and it was.

As the night continued, Nico couldn't keep his eyes off of the ring on his left ring finger. Will refused to let go of his hand, gripping it tightly with a smile prominent on his lips the entire time. Even the car ride home was nothing but smiles between the two of them. They never spoke, each time they would try and look at the other, a spurt of excited giggles would erupt over the both of them.

But by the time they got, they didn't need words to express how overjoyed they were. Will had vetoed every invitation to after parties that came his way, determined to be with Nico for this night.

Will fumbled with the keys to get into their apartment main doors, almost running down the hall to get to their apartment. Hand in hand, they continued to giggle at one another, eyes still glued on the other the entire time.

Will fiddled with the key pad to their apartment, huffing as Nico chuckled as he watched his - now - fiance struggle and then drop the keys before Nico stepped in, grabbing them from the blonde's shaky hands. He turned the key himself, pushing the door open with his back facing the hard wood. Nico smirked as Will rolled his eyes as Nico leaned back with the opening of the door, pulling Will in with him after tossing the keys back to him.

Will was already trying to take Nico's suit jacket off before they were both even through the door frame, and Nico was doing the same in return. By the time the door shut behind them, both jackets were discarded and scattered on the floor, shoes thrown off in no attention to care on where they landed.

After the awards, Will trusted Lou Ellen to hold onto his award, knowing full well he wouldn't be paying attention to it that night.

Will leaned in to Nico, not caring how he appeared as he started to kiss Nico frantically along his jaw line, fiddling with Nico's buttons, throwing his tie to the ground after pulling it down. Nico laughed, moving his head to the side to allow more access. He placed both hands on Will's shoulders as he continued to walk backwards.

"Will," he tried to say in between short bursts of laughter. The man in question simply smiled as he continued to trail his lips down his neck, leaving small marks everywhere he went.

Nico gripped Will's tie, pulling the blonde closer with every step. Will managed to unbutton half of Nico's shirt by the time they ran into a kitchen chair, the two of them pulling away for a moment to laugh softly to one another before Nico stripped Will of his tie, tossing it aside on the back of the couch.

Nico's hair was disheveled as Will's hands ran through it, pulling on small strands time to time. Nico's back made contact with the bedroom door, a hard thud echoing throughout. On the small impact, Nico stretched his head back, giving in to the pleasure, his legs feeling weak.

Will's hands ran over Nico's bare skin, moving the now unbuttoned shirt out of the way, feeling the soft skin tingle under his touch. Nico jolted slightly at the difference in temperatures that was presented to him from Will's hands. Nico's breath hitched as he gasped for air, feeling his back slide down the door.

His fingers continued to twiddle with Will's shirt, shaking at the losing control he possessed.

"God," Nico gasped, closing his eyes as Will reached for the doorknob, fiddling with it until it opened. Nico finally managed to expose Will's chest, walking backwards as he pushed the fabric off of the blonde's sun-kissed shoulders.

Inside the room, Nico found room to breath for the first time in a while, letting the silence and darkness coat them. It didn't matter what anyone else thought, it was only them. No cameras, no reporters asking their thoughts on what ever topic was relevant. For the first time that day, there was no one watching them.

Stepping over discarded clothes, they continued to walk further into the room until Nico's ankle made contact with the edge of the bed. Nico turned on his heel and Will's back was now facing the bed. With a smirk, Nico pushed him down, watching as Will looked up at him with hunger in his eyes as Nico calmly slid his shirt off, it slowly falling to the ground, all the time around it slowing down.

Nico fingered his belt, eyes never leaving Will's turquoise. He smirked, watching as Will's face fell into a look of delight, as if he was a child in a candy shop.

"Yay," he breathed, his signature lopsided smile gracing his face. Nico flicked his chin up at him, licking his lips as he pulled his belt through the loop agonizingly slow. Will made no efforts to move as Nico held it in one hand at his side, dropping it and raising a brow.

Nico pulled his fly down, head tilted as the pants slowly slid down his hips, shaking them off. When they flung to the other side of the room, hitting the wall, Nico set his knee down on the bed, the mattress dipping at the extra weight, he slowly leaned forward, making no effort to go any faster. If Will had his way, they would have been half finished this by now, but he was content with the foreplay.

With crawling movement, he continued to push forward as Will sat up, his weight being held by his elbows, eyes wide and content as Nico's other knee made first contact. Nico's lips made contact with his jaw line next, fingers fiddling with the blonde's belt, the sound of metal being muted out by heavy breathing.

"Fuck," Will let out, taking back his lack of self control. He flipped their positions, sitting up on his knees as Nico laid underneath of him, his appearance a mess, but he probably wasn't any better. He stripped his belt off within seconds flat, throwing it off impatiently.

Will smirked as he kicked his pants off, not caring where they landed, only knowing they touched the ground by the numbed sound that came from them.

Will straddling Nico as their lips made contact again, both swollen, but neither cared. Thing's started to get a lot hotter and tighter.

Neither of them had control, so it was only matter of when till the friction between them got unbearable. As things got heated above, the neglect below started to cause discomfort, resulting in grinding between the two of them, neither properly taking care of the problem for a small amount of time.

Nico's hands slipped below Will's elastic band of his underwear, nails digging and leaving marks that would be obvious in the morning.

"Fuck," Nico called out, gasping as Will tugged his underwear off, mouth still making contact to his jaw now.

Will smirked. "Happily."

And within seconds, things went several steps further. This night had started out a good one, but as time continued to ticked on, it only got better and better, continuing well into the night.

...

It was roughly two o'clock when Nico received an email from Reyna. Will was long asleep, his work dragging a lot longer than originally planned. So, when Reyna's email came up, Nico shot up and leaned forward to read the details carefully.

Reyna Ramirez Arellano

Subject: Hope this makes your day.

Attachment: Side-Friend-rough-draft-trailer

Here you go, Nico. You're one of the first people to see this, even the cast and half the crew haven't. Enjoy.

Nico grabbed his laptop from the coffee table and raced to the bedroom, jumping on to the bed.

"Will - Will - Will!" Nico shouted as he sat on his knees facing the blonde who blinked away sleep, yawning as he stretched over to turn on a lamp.

"Nico," Will muttered, voice thick and heavy. "It's two in the morning, what is it-"

"Here," Nico quickly told him, shoving an earbud into his left ear before situating beside Will, leaning into his side while clicking on the link. The video loaded for a few seconds before a few notes came up on screen. The basic studio logos rolled with soft, romantic music played over top, violins and pianos carrying the melody.

The trailer started with a wide shot of a school campus, slowly fading out and coming back to the school hall, teenagers tiredly walking down, talking with one another. Faded cuts continue to come and go, going into classes and other areas of the school while narration came over top of the music, soft and subtle.

"Everyone tells you that life was going to be full of ups and downs, but the highlight of my life could always be drawn back to high school," he said as the camera zoomed in on a a boy with messy brown hair, bypassing a smaller male in the seat beside him who had earbuds in. The boy with the brown hair turned behind him, smiling softly at a girl with chestnut hair with gold highlights; her smile could kill a man.

"I remember that day, the day he looked at her like she was the sun," the narrator said, the music coming to a climax, soft and magical, only to be broken by a loud bletch.

"Ah, shit, sorry," the kid with the earbuds said, his knees resting against the desk as a notebook full of awful drawings was leaning against his legs. There was a pause in the music as the two that were once looking at each other turned to face him, brows furrowed together. The black-haired boy, who was also the narrator, sniffed the air after a short moment before nodding his head with a pleased look. "Chipotle."

"All squint-y and shit."

"Jack!" the girl yelled, throwing an eraser at the back of his head. The brunet only shook his had as he let out a sigh.

The music picked up, scrapping the lighthearted music in return for something more modern. The bell rang as the brunet rolled his eyes at his friend, facing forward and opening his chemistry textbook.

"What?" Jack asked, rubbing the back of his head, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them, frantically trying to find answers before the teacher, an old grumpy dude, walked, balding.

"Homework check!" he yelled, setting his book on his desk, pulling a sheet of paper out as the other students pulled their work onto their desk, absentmindedly scrolling through their phones. Jack looked back to his friend with brown hair and then to the girl behind him, frantically trying to see if either of them didn't do their work. Jack flipped through his notebook, finding the page that he was supposed to do, only random quotes covering it after the start of homework. "Jack?"

He looked up at the teacher that called him, smiling nervously before the teacher sighed, marking his homework incomplete. His two friends only shook their heads as they passed them, checking them off as done.

The screen turned to Jack sitting all by himself in a classroom, the chemistry teacher marking papers at his desk.

"Honestly, I tried to block most of these years out of my mind. But there was one person that made this all better."

The bell rang and he ran out of the classroom, the teacher only glancing above his glasses at the teen who ran out, his bag still open, flapping as he made his way passed. When he walked out of the class, the boy with the messy brown hair was leaning on the locker beside the door, arms crossed and looking at the floor.

"Idiot," he muttered as he kicked off, walking down the hall.

"Noah!" Jack called out, chasing after his friend and catching up.

"We've always been together," Jack spoke over top of the scenes, a filtered filled shot of when the two of them were young, slow motion of them running around a field with blankets tied around their necks, sticks in hand as they swung at each other, laughing, faces wide and bright with excitement. "Noah and I have almost never been apart from day one."

The scene changed to the two of them sitting at a windowsill, looking out on the night bright with stars, the moon almost full. Both of the children were blinking away sleep that was trying to take them. Jack, at age seven, turned to face the same familiar hair, messy and compelling, and said, "Noah, promise me that no matter what happens, we will always be friends?"

Noah turned to his friend, a strand of hair falling perfectly over his right eye. He smiled, wide and goofy. "I promise." A close up of their pinkies locking together as the moon blinked in the background, a look of hope falling in both of their eyes.

"I did say almost."

"Hey," muttered an older Noah, hair shorter on the sides but still messy and untamed on top, a tan jacket hanging loosely off of his arm with very little effort.

Jack rolled his eyes, trying to walk away, but the scene changed when Noah reached out to Jack, taking his hand, stopping him. They made eye contact for a split second before it changed back to high school.

The three of them sat by the garbage cans, the girl with flawless skin and perfectly curled hair sat on the ledge while Noah sat underneath of her, her arms resting effortlessly around his neck. As they sat their, they looked perfectly comfortable while Jack had his shoulders raised and head lowered, moving it back and forth.

"Just imagine that coming at you in the middle of the night," he said, making a strange face as he hopped from one foot to the other, movements slowing as he looked at the two of them, turning his gaze away.

The scene changed to Jack running down the hall, holding a bag in his hand with dark circles around his eyes.

"Naomi - Naomi - Naomi!" he yelled, ducking in and out of the crowd, moving to avoid the people that gave him weird looks.

"What?" she sighed, looking up at the ceiling to collect herself before facing her friend.

"Guess what I finally got! The new limited edition Legend of Zelda game, complete with limited edition action figure!"

She raised her eyebrow, looking him over before shutting her locker, Noah looking out from the other side, eyes wide. He went around and looked in the bag with excitement.

"Dude, did you wait outside all night for that?!" he asked, looking around inside to get a better view. Jack nodded his head, the two of them looking up to meet the others eye, a beat passing over them before the music picked up, their smile towards each other indescribable.

"Did you really wait outside the video game store all night?" Naomi asked, grabbing her books and walking in between the two of them, looking over Noah who looked away from Jack, glancing to the side.

"Naomi, you used to love this sort of stuff," Jack spoke softly, confused.

"Used to, but I grew up. You should do the same."

The scene changed to muffled yelling, going back and forth between the three of them laughing as children to when they were in high school, ending of with a music muffled as Jack just sat in his room, looking down at his hands, shaking, looking up with tears threatening to fall. The music increased in intensity.

"This isn't a love story."

It cut to Naomi and Noah walking hand in hand down the hall while Jack was following gingerly behind them, his head turned down.

"This is a tragedy where things don't end up so bad."

Jack stopped dead in his tracks, looking up at his two friends that turned over their shoulder to face him, Noah looking concerned.

"I'm the villain to your happily ever after."

Noah was about to open his mouth until Naomi's voice came over the two boys locking eyes, speaking without words.

"You know you are a drama queen," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips as the screen turned to a scene where Jack was laying on the ground, his back stretched and hand on his forehead.

"No I am not!" he shot back, but Naomi and Noah just rolled their eyes.

"Whatever," she muttered, smiling at her friends before turning back to her book.

The title screen came up, a half finished animation of the title of the movie coming into view, the main three actors recreating the book cover, Noah and Jack wearing baby blue and Naomi in a soft pink. Naomi had her arm on her hip, smiling as Noah had both on his, smirking. Jack, who stood off to the side a bit, was rubbing his arm and looking off to the side.

The music picked up as the ending credits played, the ending scene playing behind.

"I spiritually relate to Rotten Robbie," Jack claimed, walking like the said character as Noah joined in, the two of them laughing and imitating the character while Naomi just shook her head off to the side.

As the screen went black, Nico turned to Will, smiling widely. Even though the blonde was still yawning tiredly, he smiled widely, grabbing the smaller man and pulled him down, kissing him.

"I'm so proud of you," Will told him as Nico continued to laugh and smile.

...

Walking through the school courtyard was the scariest thing Nico had done in a while. Him and Malcolm made their way to their first class, all eyes on Nico as he continued to walk down. Nico unconsciously put his hand onto his pocket, hiding his ring from the view of the those who were trying to get a view of it.

"I feel like a pig getting ready for slaughter," he muttered to his friend with glasses who only chuckled lowly at him.

"Well, you are engaged to one of the biggest and hottest movie stars in recent events," Malcolm pointed out, smirking silently to himself as he watched Nico sink under the words, almost like he took a punch to his gut.

"Thanks," he shot back with a mutter.

"Well, you asked." Nico rolled his eyes as they continued.

When they made it to their first lecture, Nico tossed his bag on his desk, flopping beside Malcolm that watched him with an amused smirk.

"You good?" he asked to which Nico only replied with a huff as he rested his head back.

"I'm just tried, you know?"

"Oh yeah?" Malcolm raised a brow as he watched his friend open his eyes. "What do you have to be tired about?"

Nico sat up and turned to him, resting his head on his hand. "Well, for starters," he started, slowly blinking, "I have to plan a wedding with the entirety of the world breathing down my neck. I have to finish school while also managing a successful career and a major motion picture."

"Oh, don't complain about your first world problems," Malcolm joked, rolling his eyes as Nico flipped him off. "Anyways, let me see it."

Nico rested his hand out in front of him on the table as Malcolm sat up to look at it. He took Nico's hand in his own and turned it in all different angles to see the way the light reflected off of it.

"That looks expensive," Malcolm pointed out, but Nico just sighed.

"I know," he said as he took his hand back, examining it. "It feels so weird wearing it." He closed his eyes and set his hand back down. "I tell him to not spend so much on me, but he never listens. He throws money around like crazy."

"Well, if he has any other rich friends, tell him to hit me up," Malcolm joked, but Nico still swatted him, the two of them laughing the entire time.

"Hey, Nico," someone called nervously from behind him. Both Malcolm and Nico turned around to face a girl with soft blonde hair and a gentle face. "I'm sorry to invade, but is it true?"

Nico looked up at her confused at first, but when he looked down at his hand, he smiled and flashed her his hand.

"Yeah," he replied, trying to fight off a smile that was pulling at the sides of his lips.

"That's amazing," she said as she leaned in to get a better view, resting her weight on her forearm. "Did you have any idea?"

Nico shook his head. "No idea, but it did make sense after because he was acting really strange for a while leading up."

"I called it," Malcolm said, raising his hand. Nico rolled his eyes while the girl just smiled and giggled lightly.

"Name's Lacy," she introduced herself, extending her hand out to shake.

"Nico," he replied, blushing when he realized what he said. "But you already no that."

"It's all good," Lacy replied, taking her hand back.

"Hi, I'm Malcolm, Mr. Bookman's best friend," Malcolm introduced himself sarcastically. Lacy went along, shaking his hand to which he just smiled back at her. They shared a moment.

"I almost couldn't believe it when I saw it live," Lacy side, resting her hand on the desk behind them again.

"I was there and I almost didn't believe it," he replied, smiling comfortably.

"I'm sorry if this is a little invasive," she started, looking slightly awkward, "but do you know when the first teaser trailer for Side Friend comes out?"

Nico smiled, looking at his lap.

"I'm asking for a friend," she quickly added, looking over to the side.

"Well, I can say that it should be anytime soon, I'm just waiting for the final cut."

"Really?!" Lacy exclaimed, standing up. "The rough draft is already complete?!"

"Yeah," Nico nodded. Malcolm looked back between the two of them.

"Well, for your information, I have seen it."

"Really?!" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Nico said, pushing Malcolm back, "But Mr. Jealous is going to have to wait to see the rest of them like everyone else."

"Hey!" he called out, raising his hands in protest. Lacy watched their exchange with a wide smile, laughing at the two friends. "He's just kidding."

"Try me and see how true that statement is," Nico shot back. Malcolm shook his head as he watched Lacy, mouthing, "no".

The three of them continued to laugh and talk until the professor came in and started his lecture.

When they turned around, Nico wiggled his eyebrows at Malcolm who only rolled his eyes, pushing Nico's face with his hand. Nico only laughed, turning back to pat attention.

...

Even though Will had to work a lot more with the new year, Nico didn't mind it all that much. He was busy with his school work and the project. Nico had been emailing the director for the past hour, going over final details, waiting for the final cut to come in.

As he waited in the silence of the apartment, he set his laptop down on the coffee table and leaned back, closing his eyes. He was exhausted. Nico knew he shouldn't complain, he had it made, but his work was really taking it out of him. He was sending Reyna rough drafts of his work every other day, trying to get it out of the way while also working on his school work.

He had managed to pass all of his exams, something that took much of his time. But now Reyna was on his case on getting him caught up. The only awful part was that Will wasn't there for most times he needed him, but he always made up for it. They spent all their free time together, doing nothing, but enjoy one another.

But as he laid in silence, everything finding its own way, Nico enjoyed the small amount of peace he had before he received the next bit of information from the director.

Nico opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling as a soft huff left his mouth. He laid there, cloaked in the silence as he raised his left hand up above his head. It was still strange to look up at his hand and see a ring there, shining in the light. The way the gold and black melted and fused together made Nico smile. It showed how the two of them were different, but came together. They worked.

Nico smiled as his hand fell on his face. He sat up when he heard a noise coming from his computer. He opened the lid and refreshed his email, clicking on the new message from the director, smiling when the only words it possessed was:

It's a go! :)

Nico rested his head back on the arm of the couch and smiled to himself. Things might have started out bad, but he was glad where he was. He had to remember to thank Reyna for everything. Without her, none of this would have ever happened.

...

"Do we have to?" Will asked, his knee shaking as he stood on Nico's family's house, looking around as he pushed his scarf up and over his nose as the cold stung.

"Now you know how I feel every time we go over to your parents house," Nico shot back with a smirk, reaching out to the doorknob.

"Yeah, well, your father scares me, though," Will mumbled, pouting under his scarf.

"Well, fake a smile because they're going to kill me for waiting this long." Will huffed as Nico opened the door, stepping into the warmth of the house. "Father, Persephone, I'm home!"

Nico's stepmom cracked the corner, smiling widely as she wiped her hands on a rag.

"Nico!" she exclaimed, setting the cloth over to the side as she gave him a giant hug, refusing to let go, even when Nico tried to pull away. When she finally let him free, she held on to his shoulders, smiling widely. "I missed you."

He smiled back at her gently. He missed being home, but he had another place he called "home" now.

"And the future son-in-law," she called out to Will who was still trying to take off his layers. When she pulled him into a hug, Nico shrugged behind her, giving Will a look of pity as he watched him over her shoulder. "It's good to see you, Will."

Will smiled back at her, glad to be out of her grasps.

"It's good to see you again, Persephone."

"Now," she said as she clapped her hands, turning back to head into the kitchen, "your father is in his study."

"Alright," Nico called out, hanging his jacket up in the closet. He reached out to help Will who was swimming in his jacket. "Here," Nico chuckled, pulling Will's scarf down, stealing his lips for a quick kiss before he unwrapped the blonde who let his fiance help him.

"Thanks," he muttered lowly, cheeks red from the temperature outside and from the embarrassment of being helped.

"Boys! Dinner is almost done, please go wash up. And can you go get your father?"

"Alright," Nico exclaimed back, smiling as he ruffled Will's sweaty hair. "You're so gross."

"But I'm your gross," Will smirked, rubbing his hair all over Nico's face.

"That made no sense."

"You make no sense."

Nico tried to fight back, but Will held him in place, the two of them laughing before they headed upstairs.

After they washed their hands, bumping the other with their hips, Nico wiped his hands on the towel, wiping the excess water off of his hands on his jeans as he made his way down the hall. He told Will to head down without him, saying that he would be there soon.

When he reached his father's study, he leaned on the door frame before knocking softly. When he got no response, he slowly opened the door, gingerly popping his head in to see what his father was doing. His father was seated in his leather chair, his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he examined documents.

"Hey," Nico said softly, his father looking up at the small voice. Nico was swinging on the door like he would do when he was ten, trying to get his busy father's attention.

"Nico," he spoke, surprised to see his son standing in the door way. "You're here already." He sat up and set his glasses off to the side, his hair tied into a low ponytail, a whitening beard finding home on his face.

"Yeah," Nico replied nonchalantly, entering the room a bit more, no longer swinging on the door. "We just arrived actually."

"Oh," he said, nodding ever so slightly. He set his papers down and smiled. "Well, I'm guessing that Persephone wants us down for dinner?" Nico nodded, smiling. "Well, looks like I have to put on my stern father face, huh? Yell at that fiance of yours?"

"Father," Nico groaned, rolling his eyes as his father chuckled lowly, slowly standing up.

"I kid," he said, looking over to his son before adding, "for now."

Nico groaned and smiled, heading out and down the stairs. He smiled when he saw Will and Persephone singing while setting the table.

"I can't believe you two," Nico said as he rolled his eyes, walking into the kitchen. Will sauntered over to him and grabbed his hands, swinging them.

"Aw, but come on!" Will said with a pout, trying to guilt-trip his fiance. Nico rolled his eyes, trying to hold his smile back as Will continued to try and get Nico to dance with him. Will spun him before pulling him close, the two of them smiling as the continued to dance in the kitchen of Nico's childhood home.

"Smells good," Nico's father said as he walked in, his glasses discarded. When Nico heard him, he stepped back from Will unconsciously.

Will frowned at his fiance, wondering why he still would shroud away in ways like this. But he shook it off, walking up behind him and taking his hand in his own.

"Well, I did work hard all day while you locked yourself up in your study," she picked on him as she fixed his collar, fiddling with it as Will swung Nico's hand. "Alright," she called out, clapping her hands to get the men's attention, "help set the table if you can legally drink."

Both Will and Nico's father sighed and complained as they grabbed the plates, heading back and forth to set the table. Nico simply laughed at them, heading over to the table and resting his head on his hands, closing his eyes, hoping he could sleep a little bit before he would have to act human and awake.

But that was short lived as they were all done in less than a minute, the four of them sitting around the table.

Persephone had made spaghetti, something Nico was always down for. He said thanks before he loaded his plate up, overflowing. His family watched, smiling, as he started to dig into. They all remembered separate times when Nico would hardly eat at all, and seeing this, this made everything worth of.

"So," Nico's stepmother started off with a smile while Will was the next one to load his plate, dinner being served in a circular fashion, "have you two started planning yet?"

Both Nico and Will stopped what they were doing, Will looking up from his plate with his fork mixing everything around while Nico was in mid bite, his face low to the plate and mouth wide open. They looked at one another for a beat before looking back at Persephone.

She smiled, laughing softly behind her hand. "I'll take that as a no, then."

Both boys looked away in nervousness. They had sort of avoided the topic on their own for a while, neither actually wanting to admit that it had happened, something that was weird between them. They weren't sure why, but both of them got really nervous whenever the topic was brought up.

Persephone continued to smile as she started, Nico's father long gone and lost in his meal to do anything other then nod when needed.

"We were watching live," she started, taking a moment to chew and swallow before continuing. "And when your name was call, Will, we were ecstatic. But Nico's father and I had no idea that it was going to lead to that." She paused to wipe her mouth, lips still turned upwards. "It seemed like there was a moment where even you didn't know."

Will smiled, looking away before settling his hands on his lap.

"Yeah," he said, face becoming red. "I almost backed out half way through." He stopped for a moment to look over at his fiance, who, in that moment, looked like a child caught red handed, eyes wide, mouth parted. "But I'm glad I didn't."

The two of them shared a smile between them, looking away simultaneously at the thought that followed, something Nico nor Will would ever want to bring up at a family dinner with their parents.

"Do you have any ideas where you want to go from here?" Persephone jumped in, sensing the strange atmosphere.

Nico sat up and straightened his back, stretching almost. "Well," he stated, thinking for a moment, "I'm not too sure on anything really, but I kind of want a winter wedding."

"While I want summer," Will jumped in, the two smiling for a moment before Persephone laughed softly at the two boys.

"You two sure do seem to be going in different directions, huh?"

"Yeah," Will spoke with a smile, eyes lighting up.

"Why not fall?" Persephone added, leaning forward after she took a sip of her drink, Nico's father only following with his eyes as he finished off his plate, reaching over to add more to it.

Nico and Will looked over at one another before turning back to face her, both smiling.

"I like fall," Will said, nodding his head.

"Autumn is nice," Nico added, smiling as he looked over that the blonde next to him.

"Well," she said, clapping her hands with her napkin, "looks like we have something figured out!"

"Looks like we do," Will nodded in agreement as he looked over to his fiance, neither of them looking anywhere but at one another.

"Dear," Persephone said as she looked over at the man that had eaten twice the amount as anyone at the table, "you have anything to add?"

Nico and Will slowly looked away from one another to face him. He simply wiped his face with a napkin, his beard now partially clean of sauce. He shook his head and sighed, closing his eyes, making Nico nervous.

"I can't believe my boy is getting married," he muttered, to which Nico let out a breath of fresh air. He smiled at his dad who looked up to meet his eyes, the two of them sharing a moment. "Only yesterday I was holding you as a baby."

They didn't need words, but Nico knew his father was proud of him, and he was grateful for that.

...

"Stop fixing your collar," Nico sighed, smiling all the same. Will frantically played with his hair. In this situation, Nico expected himself to be the one that would be nervously fidgeting with his appearance, but it turned out to be Will who was doing it instead.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, turning to face Nico with a shy smile, head ducking, "I guess I'm just nervous."

"I don't know why you would be," Nico said, pulling his collar himself, to give it one final fix after Will's consent fiddling. "I should be the nervous one, you're always the one doing these sort of things."

"Yeah, but," Will's voice trailed off as he turned to look back at his reflection. He sighed, smiling as he turned to face his fiance. "I guess it's the whole 'image' thing that's really getting to me."

"Why?" Nico started, his tone turning sarcastic. "Scared the whole world will hate you after everything that's already happened?"

Will smiled, tilting his neck the way he did when he started to get comfortable, his lips lopsided.

"The world already loves me, but... I don't know, the world loves you, but they haven't really seen us together, you know?"

Nico rolled his eyes, pulling Will down for a kiss by his buttons.

"Will. I love you, the media loves you, the entire world loves you, you need to calm down and realize that this will be fine." Will pouted, continuing the act, even thought he knew he felt better.

"Well," he started, voice low like he would be talking to a baby, "maybe if you do that again, I'll feel better."

"What?" Nico asked, raising a knowing brow at the blonde, "A kiss?" Will nodded his head, still continuing to pout. "Well, now that you're doing that," Nico said, smirking as he pulled Will down, turning away just before they made contact, "I wont."

"Hey!" Will called out, smiling as he chased his fiance to the door where he was putting on his shoes and coat. "That's not fair! I just wanted a kiss."

"Yes," Nico said, stopping from tying his shoe lace and looking up at him, his playful smirk still tugging at his lips, "but you tried to play dirty, so no kiss for you."

Will continued to whine as Nico opened the door and walked out, the blonde following suit, still trying to convince Nico that that was unfair.

"Quiet," he said jokingly, "Lou will be here anytime now."

Will huffed and sighed, but complied.

...

When they got to the studio where they were supposed to have the interview, Will was feeling much better, which meant it was Nico's turn to worry. In all honesty, he had never been in an interview, at least not in person. When it came to his books, everything was via email or, more commonly, through Reyna.

This whole, "doing something in person" was something he never had to deal with, but after coming out in more ways than one, a lot more attention was coming his way which meant that he would have to these sorts of things in person.

"Hey," Will spoke softly, taking his hand as they continued to weave through the other people that worked there. Nico looked up at Will who had his head up as he maneuver around, Lou Ellen darting around while she tapped away at her phone screen.

Having Will there was making everything better, with him by his side, he felt like he could do anything.

So, in response, Nico simply squeezed Will's hand, finding comfort in the warmth that radiated from it.

In no time flat, the three of them stood in the studio where the interview was taking place, the same blonde women from the interview was chatting away with one of the camera men, a water bottle in hand as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Will was quickly whisked away, falling right into pattern with how he had always done things. But Nico on the other hand was looking around, allowing a girl with blue hair to sit him in a chair as she went over his face with a light covering of makeup.

"Don't be nervous," she said with a smile, a lip piercing moving as she did so. "You'll do fine.

Nico smiled. "Thanks," he said, feeling his heartbeat slow down ever so slightly.

As he sat, he watched. And it was amazing how everyone moved in unison, the way they would all move around, work in and out of one another, yet nothing seemed to slow. Just watching it made Nico dizzy, he never understood how all these separate people could function, almost lie they where under one mind.

When he was finally released, he moved awkwardly around until he found Will. The blonde was laughing as he talked with a few people, one of them them the blonde that would be interviewing them. She smiled back at Will who couldn't help but laugh again, taking a drink of his water bottle that was now in his hand.

"Nico!" he exclaimed when he saw his fiance making his way over, looking away from the blonde who turned her head also. Nico smiled back, ducking out of the way of someone who was walking by, almost running into him.

"Hey," he waved back gingerly, smiling meekly.

"You excited?" Will whispered as he took Nico by the waist and held him close. Nico nodded stiffly, but still nonetheless.

"Sweet," the blonde smiled, flipping her hair before a man off to the side yelled to everyone to get in place. "Looks like it's time to go."

"Alright, Stacy," Will waved as he lead Nico out of the way and to where a girl with a headset pointed them to. "I can tell you're nervous," he spoke softly under his breath, looking down to meet his eye when they stopped moving. "Everything is going to be fine."

"I hope so," he muttered in return, taking a deep breath as the two of them took their seats, Nico's knee nervously bouncing up and down.

As people ran to their spots, going over final details, Stacy thanked a man that was retouching her makeup before he walked off and a man started filming. Nico jumped at the snap that came before Stacy smiled and introduced herself and the two of them.

"I'm am currently joined by Academy award winning actor, Will Solace, and his now-fiance, award winning author, Nico di Angelo," she said, turning to face them as Will flashed her his signature lopsided smile, his eyes wide and bright. "It's wonderful to have you both here today."

"It's wonderful to be here, Stacy," Will said in return, truly showing his natural place in front of the camera. Nico nodded along with him, still trying to find his voice where ever it went.

"Just jumping into things," she said fixing her hair before taking a small breath in, "so, you two are now currently engaged, right?"

"Yeah," Will said, dipping his head at the question, corner of his lips turning up.

"I can't believe that it's been roughly a year since you first came out and told the world about you two's relationship. It really is wonderful to see the two of you still together after all of this time."

"I know," Will said, leaning forward. "It is hard to believe how much time has passed since that day, and I don't regret it for a moment." Will looked over at Nico as he took his hand, calming the smaller male who flashed him a smile in return, finding some sort of confidence deep inside of him.

"Yeah," Nico managed to say, doing his best to not seem shy.

"So, I've already gotten a short interview with the two of you on the red carpet, but I have a few more questions and details I want to go over with the two of you, now that none of us are really rushing things." She straitened her back, a small smile tugging on her lips. "If it isn't too much of me asking, how did you two get together?"

"Well," Will started, looking over at Nico, squeezing his hand, "a bunch of things actually happened that just built up to the final event of us actually 'getting together'."

"Yeah," Nico agreed, feeling slightly better and was starting to finally want to answer. "At first, I think I was actually trying to avoid you."

Both Stacy and Will looked slightly shocked and discombobulated at this information.

"Really?" Will asked, trying to run the events over in his mind.

"You didn't know this?" Stacy asked, also in the same state as Will, but Nico just laughed, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I guess it was because I was trying to distance myself from you."

"Why?" Will asked, both parties now intrigued.

"Because I thought you were to... you know, you to ever like me back. So, I guess I did it in an attempt to put an end to our weird friendship, and to my feelings."

Both Stacy and Will looked at one another, letting what he had said pass over them.

"But after that, you..." Will spoke as he thought, trying to make full sense of what Nico was saying.

"The present? Yeah, I actually had Katie drop it off at your door step. She cursed me out after for how she had to sneak in and out before you or anyone else that lived there noticed."

"Wait," Stacy said, putting her hands up, "present?"

"Oh, yeah." Will turned to her. "Christmas Eve, I got a present at my front door from him which was the kick off to all the events that happened."

"I had actually given it to Katie mainly because I couldn't get away from my family," Nico added, Stacy leaning almost out of her chair, eyes glued on the two of them. "And also because I didn't think I wouldn't have been able to face you, or at least your door, and not back out. Also, with the risk of you seeing me, I couldn't have that. Katie had everything planned out, she said," he added as an after thought.

"Wow," she mumbled, lip turning upward into a small grin, "you two are full of so much more than I could have ever imagined."

"And that's not even the most intense thing about that night," Will added, chuckled softly to himself.

"No," Nico said, nodding ever so slightly at the memory. "The gift had actually be sort of a call back to the birthday present I had given him a while back. I didn't want him to know it was me, but at the same time, I had to tell him that I was the author."

"What - how did you do that?"

"He had written inside the same way he had for the book version of One Last Hero I had gotten for my birthday from him, signed - wait a minute," Will said suddenly, leaning forward in his chair then facing Nico, "did you actually just get me your own book and signed it yourself for my birthday?"

"Are you just realizing this now?" Nico asked, smirking as his fiance thought the logistics of that out, looking even more confused. "Anyways, I had written him my feelings on the inside of the cover of a hard edition of Side Friend, a book I actually had written for Will."

"Something I also didn't even find out about until later in our relationship," Will added. "I remember opening it up while on the phone with my mom, and I'm pretty sure I had hung up on her the moment everything snapped into place."

"Are you serious?" Stacy asked, her every movement focused on what the two males were saying. "How - how did things go from there?"

"Well," Will started, smirking to himself before pressing on, "I had just then realized that this scrawny boy that I have been meeting with for the past few months had not only - A: had confessed his feelings towards me via book, but - B: was also the author of these books."

"I can't even imagine what that must have felt like," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh yeah," Will agreed, "and you have to know, I didn't have any way of contacting him at this point, so here I was, in the middle of my kitchen, everything making sense at once, and I had no way to do anything about this."

"So what did you do?" she asked.

"Yeah," Nico spoke up, "you never really told me what actually happened."

"Well," he thought about it for a moment, "first I ran out into the freezing cold with no plan, hoping that something would come to me." Both Stacy and Nico laughed at Will's recollection, the blonde joining in after a moment. "I know right? Me, no plan, running ahead first? Anyways, I came to this corner store, hoping to God that they had the first part of my flimsy plan, which they did, so instead of freezing my ass off outside, I waited out there while I managed to come up with a plan after that.

"I actually called Reyna, Nico's editor/manager, after Lou Ellen, my manager managed to get her number. I don't know how she did it, and I don't think she'll ever tell me, maybe because it was illegal or whatever, but when she sent it to me, I called her up and bagged her to give me your address."

"Without context, that sounds so weird," Nico pointed out, everyone, including those behind the camera, tried not to laugh, small snickers echoing.

"I know," Will agreed, laughing slightly as he continued on. "She almost hung up on me, which I'm glad she didn't." Will smiled softly at the thought of what had happened that day. "Man, the more I think about it, the more things seemed against me in that instance."

"Now, you have to remember that I'm at home with my family, thinking that I'm never going to see this man again, ever," Nico added, smiling softly at this.

"So, here I am, about to run - quite literally, too - to Nico's house, something that he doesn't even know that I know, after managing to sell my soul to Reyna. It's freezing, deciding that the one day it's going to be cold is the one day I literally run across the city. But when I managed to get there, I couldn't feel my toes, but it was all worth it."

"I'm inside, not knowing this is going on while my extended family is trying to make me the perfect Italian son in the short time they are staying, so when there's knocking at the door, I'm more than willing to get it. And when I open the damn door, Will is standing there. I lose all mental functions at that point," Nico spoke while letting out a soft chuckle. "All I remember is standing there, regretting every choice I had made up to that point, cursing everyone from God to Reyna, and wishing this was some twisted, sugar induced dream."

Will smiled as he thought about how his expression then had some how managed to portray each and every one of those emotions.

"I remember when you opened that door," Will thought about it as he spoke, turning to look at Nico's profile, "I had never been more scared in my life to see you standing there. And seeing you open the movie, I couldn't breath. I'm not sure if that was because I was having some sort of asthma attack from the cold and running or from the fact that I'm pretty sure that I was two steps away from passing out, but something held onto my chest that night."

"And reading those words, I was a hundred percent sure that I was dreaming." Nico turned to face Will, smiling as he caught his eye, the light hitting then just right to send him drowning in the ocean.

"Wow," Stacy spoke up once more, shaking her head and blinking, as if she couldn't believe it. Her mouth had turned against her as her lips turned upwards without her permission. "That is incredible. To think all that happened in such a perfect way."

"It's weird to say it out loud, but yeah, I guess it did turn out that way," Will spoke softly as he looked at the ground for a brief moment. "But enough about our relationship," Will added in a sudden rush as he smiled nervously to which the other two laughed softly at.

"Alright, if you insist. Now, I have some questions for you, Nico. Everyone already knows everything about Will," Stacy stated, to which Nico smiled and went along with, waving his hand and adding a sarcastic "of course." Both shared a quirt moment before she continued. "How did you settle on the story line for Side Friend?"

"Well," Nico started, chuckling at the thought of it, but it slowly turned more into a cry for help, "it actually was a few ideas I had that I put together into one cohesive story."

"Wow, really?" she asked, interested in his words.

"Yeah, and actually it didn't have a name for a while. It hit me one night like a ton of bricks right before it needed a name, so that kind of worked out," Nico explained, leaning forward the more he talked. "Actually, speaking of names, the name for One Last Hero was supposed to be No More Heroes, but due to copy rights with a game by the same name, my manager made me change it last minute, which sucked 'cause I had to change parts of the book for it to match."

"And she didn't catch it earlier on?" Stacy asked, both her and Will interested in this never before heard information about their favourite books.

"Yeah, actually it was a huge plot factor too, mainly because it was supposed to be a common theme throughout that showed that Nate and no one else was meant to be the good guys, just two chaotic forces battling it out. It followed the saying that you can't have a hero without a villain, but you can have a villain without a hero." The more Nico talked, the more Stacy and Will got drawn in. All these small details they had never noticed were all thrown off because of two simple words in the title. They were amazed and awestruck.

"That's incredible," Stacy said as she just shook her head, her mouth hanging open. "I am so shook, but sadly that is all the time we have for today. It was absolutely amazing to have you two on here with us, and I would love to talk with you both again in the future."

As Stacy closed up the interview and the cameras turned off, Will turned to Nico with a stunned look on his face.

"I didn't know that," he said.

"You never asked," Nico replied with a smirk,his brow raised as he started to head off towards the door, Will following steadily behind him.

...

As they headed into the hall, Will shook his head with a contend gleam in his eyes.

"Look at my boy, heading in to kick ass and look good, and he is already looking good," Will spoke as they searched for their table where Reyna was already seated.

"What are you talking about?" Nico asked as he semi-ignored Will as he sat down in his chair next to his editor, manager, and long time friend.

"Look at you, New York Time's best selling author, strutting into these book award thingies like you own the place, coming to take all the awards for your books," Will explained, taking his seat beside his fiance's.

"First off, it doesn't take much to get on New York Time's best sellers list, it just sounds all high and mighty, and secondly, I'm not looking to win anything tonight. Side Friend has already taken enough awards home in the past, this is just courtesy."

"Nico!" Will exclaimed. "You are being too modest. That book of yours is going to take it home."

"Look," he started, "the only reason I'm here is because Side Friend got skipped over last year due to some weird rules that came out, but is back in. And I haven't released anything new in ages, so just shut up and enjoy the night."

And he did.

The night continued on peacefully as they sat with dinner and watched the awards being handed out to each winner. During breaks, Nico would introduce Will to other writers, and just like Nico had done to actors he adored, Will found himself weak at the knees.

Each one wished him luck on his ways, even with most of them being twice his age. Nico was quite young to be a successful writer, so there wasn't many people there his age.

As the awards continued on, Will sat impatiently until Nico's category was called. But when Nico wasn't called up, Will felt a little sad because of it, but clapped along just like everyone else at their table had done. Will didn't like that Nico had lost, but Nico simply shrugged when the winner was announced, cheering her on as she took the stand.

As the night continued on, the more books and authors got reconsidered for their credibility. But it wasn't until late into the night did something major happen. Waiting for the next category, two gentlemen walked up to the mic, smiling as they addressed the audience.

"Good evening, everyone, how are you enjoying your time so far?" a man that appeared to be in his late forties/early fifties spoke out, his wrinkles showing his age as he smiled. The response was appropriate to the event and time of the evening. "That's good. Around this time I would be crawling into bed while my wife yells at me to shower."

As the crowd laughed, a younger man spoke into the mic.

"Hopefully you showered before tonight," he spoke, earning a hefty laugh from everyone, including Will and Nico. "So, we will be taking a quick break from our usual categories to present an honorary award to someone specific tonight."

"This author has stormed their way onto the scene with a force that I think frightened most of us older authors," the older gentleman spoke, chuckling lowly himself at his own words along with a generous response. "They have shown us what it is like to carry natural talent, something most of us know."

"At such a young age, this author has shown us worlds that have captivated us all, and will continue to inspire generations to come. They have represented groups of people that have been put on the back burner, showing through their words that just because one loves someone different doesn't make them any less important."

Nico looked over at Will who was looking back at him. He mouthed, "What's going on?" to the younger male, only to earn a confused shrug in return. Nico turned to Reyna who simply raised a brow with a shrug, the only difference from Will being the smug smile that was found tugging at her lips.

With brows furrowed and mind racing, he turned back and continued to listen to the two gentlemen talk about this outstanding author, wandering if he knew who it was.

"Their work has shown us that there are not always happy endings to fall back on, but striking truths that make us feeling unfilled with the way things work and keeping us wanting more. If you have not heard about the amazing works of this up and coming author, then I would have to ask what rock you are currently living under as they are taking the world in a huge sweep once again," the older man spoke out as he took a small pause.

"Today we are honoring an author that will continue to take the world of writing by storm and shaping literature by its roots. We would like to call up and recognize Nico di Angelo, more commonly known as N.D. Augustine, for his breathtaking stories and contributions."

As cheering echoed from every side of him, Nico slowly stood up, looking at Reyna who was clapping along, simply shrugging her shoulders once again at his expressions.

"You knew about this," he whispered to her over the noise.

"Didn't mean I had to tell you," was her simple response.

With a shake of his head, Nico looked over at Will who had never looked happier than he did in that moment.

"Congratulations, love," he told him as he shooed him off.

Through the cheering, Nico took the stage, a women in a flowing white gown helping him up the stairs to which he thanked her for.

As he looked out at everyone in the audience, one by one, they all slowly stood up, taking Nico's breath away when he got to the front and thanked the two men who had given him his award.

"Oh gosh," was all he managed to mumble out as he looked at the still cheering audience, eyes focused on Will when he started to get dizzy, "how does one go about starting this?" When the crowd laughed, he followed, feeling slightly better as many still stood standing, watching him as the noise went down. "My manager and best friend is still giving me that look, you know the one, the one where they obviously knew what was going to happen and didn't tell you.

"Gosh, thank you, umm... everyone. I don't know how to go about this, really. This is beyond amazing. I don't know how I got this lucky, you know? I was just a kid typing helplessly away at his keyboard hoping something made sense - hell, I still am! You can ask my fiance that even.

"This is probably one of the highlights of my life, really. I can't believe people even picked up my book. This started out as a hobby that took off way back when I was still young and naive. But now I'm here, looking out on a group of people that made up my childhood, and the fact that they stood and cheered for me - wow, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.

"I know it may not be much, but the fact that I am able to show people some truths and persuade them to see my views on the world is enough. To be able to show people that just because someone is different, that they aren't broken, damaged - now that is all I need. But this is an added bonus." A small bundle of laughter broke out from the crowd as Nico tried to find his words once again, looking down at the small award in his hand. "I hope I can continue to live up to this name, and not have reached my peak by age twenty." He raised the award up. "Here's to many more years and words to come!"

The crowd erupted once again as he was escorted off of the stage by the two men, unable to believe what had just happened.

When he got back to his table, Will brought him into a tight embrace, neither of them wanted to break apart. But when they did, they once again took their seats, all-the-while smiling like idiots. Reyna rolled her eyes but couldn't help but feel proud of the once small boy that now sat in front of her, a man.

...

Hand in hand, Will and Nico made their way down the street, adding small comments about the street they passed. Nico would bump into his arm as they walked, smiling the entire time. Will would squeeze his hand, not for any reason, just to let Nico know that he was there.

Nico yawned.

"Tired?" Will asked, adding a slight swing to their conjoined hands.

Nico nodded.

"Yeah," he replied, suppressing another yawn as he rubbed at his eyes that had accumulated tears. "I know it's not actually very early, but I was up all last night finishing three different essays."

Will chuckled lowly as he brought Nico's hand to his lips, letting them rest there for a beat before smiling over to his fiance.

"I know," he spoke softly, "you didn't come to bed until late."

Nico nodded as he stretched out a little bit.

"My entire schedule is messed for the next month, I don't know how I'm going to continue this - hell, I don't even know how I've done it so far."

Will chuckled at that, squeezing his hand.

"Well," Will started, looking over at Nico, "I believe in you."

Nico leaned into Will's arm, smiling softly to himself, letting the sun bounce off of his face as it started to show its face, warming up the world for the first time all winter.

"I know," he muttered, meaning it to reach no ears, just fizz into the wind and fly away.

As the reached a small coffee shop, not the one Katie worked at, something Nico was kind of upset about, their pace sped up slightly as Will reached out for the door, opening it for the two of them.

"I'm glad it's warming up," Will spoke aloud, for no reason, just to let the words be out there for any to hear.

"Yeah," Nico agreed. "It's nice, but on the other hand, you internally cringe knowing that it's because of increased greenhouse effect."

Will laughed and agreed as they spotted Annabeth and Percy sitting in a corner table, aimlessly talking about nothing and everything all at once. When Annabeth spotted Will, she smiled and stood up, hugging him as he let go of Nico's hand to embrace his dear friend.

"It's so nice to see you again," she told him quietly, smiling as they stood there for a second longer just to relax in one another's touch.

"It is nice to see you again," he replied, gripping her back slightly tighter than normal.

While the two blonde's caught up with one another, Percy and Nico smirked as they saw one another, Percy standing up in front of the smaller male. Instead of hugging like their partners, they pull out a crazy hand shake, the two blonde's smirking as they pulled away from their embrace.

"When did they have time to learn that?" Annabeth asked as she held back a laugh, a smile breaking through, shaking her head.

"No clue," Will replied with the same amount of uncertainty.

Once Percy and Nico finally finished their handshake, it ending with the two of them jumping and high-fiving under their legs, they simply nodded at one another, acting as if what had just happened was nothing.

Will and Annabeth slowly took their seats, still eyeing their male significant others. With one final eye roll and sigh, Annabeth straightened her back and took in a deep breath, pushing her hair behind her ear before taking a simple sip of her drink.

"So, how are things been with you two after... everything?" She asked, referring to their engagement.

Will shrugged with a warm smile on his rosy cheeks, freckles dancing along his face. "Everything has been good."

Nico nodded with a slight blush sweeping over his face. "Yeah, nothing truly noteworthy - Oh! They finished the first teaser trailer for Side Friend!"

Annabeth's face lit up. "Really?"

"Seriously?" Percy added, leaning in with the same amount of excitement as his wife.

Nico nodded with a goofy smile, the one he wore when he was flattered but also embarrassed.

"Dude! That's freaking amazing!" Percy exclaimed, trying his best to keep his voice low.

Both Annabeth and Percy were well aware of the book and what it represented, mainly due to being on the receiving side of Will's four hour long exasperation. So, when they heard about the movie adaptation, they both found a new love in the book all over again. As they sat there with the two of them, they couldn't help but notice Will's attempt at hiding his pride, especially considering he had much practice as this was most definitely not the first time this had come up or the first time he had thought of it.

"Yeah, it should be out within the next two weeks, I'm actually really excited! I met a bit with the cast at the beginning and a bit throughout, as well, so I know it's going to be amazing." Nico smiled as he looked down at his hands, his expression becoming relaxed.

Annabeth watched them with a sense of pride. She might not have known Nico as long as some people, but it was amazing to see how much he had grown since the first day she had even heard of him, and then seeing him and watching as he helped them out, it was amazing to see Nico where he was then.

"Well," she spoke up, attracting the attention of the table, "even thought I would love to continue on this topic, I think we should hurry up and move on to the real important things. Have you two figured out where you want to get married?"

Will and Nico looked around, unable to properly answer the question. As Annabeth rolled her eyes at them, Will popped his head up and said, "Well, we did sort of agree on fall."

"Aw, a fall wedding sounds really nice," she said softly, Percy nodding with her as he took a sip of his mocha.

"I guess we are having a sort of hard time on where, mainly because we are so different in where we come from," Nico pipped up, shrugging as he thought about it.

"Yeah," Will agreed with a sigh, "Nico is from Italy and I'm from here, so finding a soft medium in between has been the main problem."

Annabeth leaned back in her chair as she went through all the possibilities until Percy spoke up first.

"Why don't you two find a more traditional church with European-type influences," Percy suggested. Annabeth was intrigued on why he thought of this option. When Percy noticed her trying to figure it out, he simply sat taller in his chair and smiled. "Well, Nico told me a while back that his mother had brought him up Catholic until she passed, and Will used to go to church with his mom when he was younger, so simplifying the search to that might make it easier."

Annabeth was speechless, it made so much sense. She knew he was smart, but sometimes he really blows her away.

"That's... actually really good," she spoke up. Annabeth turned to face Will and Nico. "What do you two think?"

The two of them looked at one another, a small smile appearing on their faces.

"Well," Nico started slowly, "you want to go with something lavish and high class but also has meaning."

"And you want something more traditional and small, something that honors your mother and her faith," Will added next, the two of them realizing that going with a more European-style church, something that had roots in Roman and Italian architecture would satisfy what they both were looking for. "I think it's perfect."

"Me too," Nico spoke back gently, the two of them smiling as they thought of their future wedding.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Will said with a smile that slowly grew wider.

"I know," his fiance replied back with the same amount of excitement.

"Great," Annabeth spoke up, mainly to Percy as the other two where paying more attention to themselves than to the two beside them, "looks like we can start planning a wedding." She leaned in to the two of them when they broke their eye contact. "Now, where should we start looking?" she asked with a smirk that translated to the three males that she was unable to be stopped.

...

"Katie!" Nico quietly exclaimed as his friend sat down in front of him, handing him his usual coffee. "God, this is why I love you!"

Katie rolled her eyes as he took a long sip from the cup.

"Anyways," she said as she stretched out a bit, "it's been so long, been busy?"

"You have no idea," Nico muttered tiredly, smiling softly when he looked up to meet her eye. "Between school, work, the movie, and the wedding, I've been booked up solid. Gladly I don't have to do too much for the wedding, though." He put his coffee down and leaned in and held an astonished expression. "You would never guess by looking at him, but it's like Will had this entire wedding planned out since he was, like, six. I swear, it's hilarious hearing him go on and on about all these things that we need, like, the seats need a very specific type of ribbon and cover. Like, why does he know all of this?"

Katie put her had over her mouth as she tried to hold back her laughter. She shook her head as she couldn't believe it.

"Wow, that's... that's actually really funny! Travis has no idea about anything I say it, honestly, if it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't know what I'm doing," Katie added, taking a sip after sighing.

"You can say that again. Will's mom keeps sending me pictures of decor and flowers, and it's over whelming. They know what they are doing. Me? No idea."

Katie nodded and then the two of the sat in silence. Two friends planning a wedding with no idea what they are doing is really stressful, the both of them thought.

"Yours is sooner, isn't it?" Nico spoke up.

"Yeah," Katie replied with a tired sigh. "Next few month's I'm nowhere's near ready."

"But your dress is really cute," Nico added to try and make her feel better.

"You're right," she said with a smile, thinking to the lace, keyhole ballgown Nico had helped pick out just three months back.

"Just know that I'll be there for you just in case you get nervous. And if you plan on running away, know that I'll be the one to through you to the ground and make sure you get your ass down that damn aisle."

Katie smirked. "'Throw me to the ground'? You sure you're strong enough to do so?"

Nico looked offended, throwing a piece of a napkin at her. "Shut up! I can so!"

"Uh huh," Katie added as she looked around with the smirk still pulling at her lips.

...

"Alright!" Annabeth shouted as she raised her sun glasses to the top of her head. She looked out on the group of girls and Nico before her. "We have to crack down on wedding things. We will each tackle a specific area that was pre-given to us, so when your area comes up, you must tackle and complete it as soon as you can while still being efficient." She turned to each girl as she spook. "Reyna, you are in charge of venue decorations. Rachel, you are in charge of flower arrangement and colour coordination. Katie, you will tackle the food arrangement. I will take care of your suit. And Nico, you remember my good friend Piper who was also in O.L.H.?-" Nico nodded - "good, she is here to make sure everything matches and goes smoothly."

Everyone nodded as they were all determined to successfully follow the plan. As three celebrities, a manager, a writer, and a barista stood in the middle of the street, they were starting to attract a lot of attention, but no one was worried about it as they all stood well-dressed and ready to cut anyone that stood in their way.

"Now, the first appointment is with the tailor, so let's get going before we are late." With a collective nod, Annabeth lead to group down the street and they headed to the first stop on their day long journey. It hadn't even fully started, but Nico was tired and wished that Will wasn't currently back at work, shooting new episodes.

When they finally got there, Nico was whisked away by the tailor as she looked him over. Her face was full of wrinkles, but even so, Nico knew she wasn't as young as she managed to appear. She had a gray bob and glasses, her clothes well picked out, as what was expected for a high-class tailor. Just by the smell and the texture of the fabrics and store, he knew this place was expensive, something he would yell at Will for later. While Nico wanted small and quaint, Will being a high-class celebrity himself, he wanted to go full out.

She poked and prodded at him while her male assistant recorded down measurements while she continued to wrap and unwrap a measurement tape around him. As fast as he was in there, he was being pulled out, being told by the tailor as she walked around with a thick accent that he would have to come back in two weeks for a fitting. While Nico barely had time to even hear her, Annabeth was already telling her that they would be back.

Being pulled from one store to the next, each girl was on their phone or writing down things in a notebook. Recording and researching while they stopped for their job was what Nico was noticing was becoming common.

Rachel had grabbed him by the arm as she pushed him into a flower shop that seemed to be hidden, but when he entered, he was hit by abstract colours and a fragrance that left him feeling breathless.

"Rachel, do we really need flowers?" Nico asked as he looked around. When the red-head heard him, she took personal offence.

"Of course you will need flowers, it is not a wedding without them. Now, I'm assuming that you'll be walking down the aisle, or are you going to be already up there with Will. Personally, I feel like you should walk, but that's not for me to say. Anyways, what are your guy's colours?"

Nico was overwhelmed by all the questions at once, trying to figure out each of their answers.

"Um... I think I will be walking, but-"

"I don't need 'think', I need 'know'!"

"Um... well, I haven't talked about it with Will, but I guess I will be walking," he replied back skittishly. He wasn't aware how intense everyone was going to get when he first agreed to go wedding shopping. Apparently Will had asked them to take Nico so he could finally have some major say on what they were doing.

"Good," she said, raising two fake flowers in either hand beside Nico's face, going back and forth between them, trying to figure out which one would look the best, "because that will determine whether you will be holding flowers."

"Uh, I don't know if I will be holding any, isn't that more of a girl-thing to do?"

"Well, make up your mind because I need to know whether or not we need to order you a bouquet."

"Okay-"

"What were you and Will thinking about for colours?" she interrupted him, continuing to look through the store.

"Well, we were thinking of going for maybe gold and purple, maybe black instead, though," he told her as he followed her around the store like a lost puppy because that's what he felt like.

Rachel stopped and turned around. "Aw! Like Tangled! I love that idea."

"Yeah, I guess like that," he said softly, thinking of the movie suddenly.

Rachel continued to walk through the store until she stopped and put up her pointer finger. "Reyna, Piper! Write this down: lanterns."

Both girls nodded and started to record the idea down.

"Lanterns?" Nico asked.

Rachel smiled and nodded.

"Imagine lanterns, maybe hung up as lighting. Candle light in fall is the prettiest, you agree?"

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling at the thought. He would have never been able to come up with this sort of stuff on his own, so he was secretly thankful for their help. "Gold is Will's favourite colour and you know how stubborn he is, so we have to go with it no matter what."

All the girls sighed and then laughed at the same time, each and everyone of them knowing how true that statement was. Will had a lot to say when it came to the wedding, and he knew that Nico would nod along to everything he would say, so he made the girls take him out and get him to be involved in the planing above just agreeing.

"It's a weird colour combination, I know, but he wont budge."

"Well," Rachel started with a sigh, "I can make anything look good."

They spent the next half hour pointing and picking out flower agreement and types. They had a list of ideas and plans down, the florist doing her best to help out and answer any questions. They had a while before the actual wedding, so they didn't have to rush, but it was nice to get everything ready. Will had agreed to going to order everything with Nico once he was done filming, which wasn't much longer.

When they finally left the flower shop, Nico's head hurt from the amount of useless information he now carried on flowers. But it was short lived as he was being taken away to a quaint bakery where Nico had helped Percy out with his cake tasting.

When he walked through the door, he felt something familiar hit him, filling him with pleasure. Before he could fully take everything in, he was holding back his laughter that was building from within. There, standing in his usual casual attire, Percy smiled with one hand on his hip.

"Will wanted to come, but he couldn't make it, so he sent me over," he explained, but it wasn't helping Nico much. While he did feel sad that Will couldn't be there, he was glad Percy was. The first time they had done this was when him and Annabeth were engaged, but now the tables had turned and it was time to return the favor.

"Just like last time," Nico said with a smile building, pulling his lips upward as he walked forward to the man.

"We'll leave you two to finish this part while we get everything ready. We'll meet you back here in thirty, okay?" Annabeth announced, taking her phone out.

"Okay, babe. I'll massage you later, love you!" Percy shouted back, raising his hand to wave as Annabeth replied with a halfhearted nod and a half audible mumble of agreement. "So much love. Anyways, let us go sit, and in the words of Marie Antoinette, 'let them eat cake!'"

"Actually," Nico spoke up, sitting in his chair, "Marie Antoinette did not say that, it was only put in for the movie."

"Wow, thanks for killing my buzz! How else am I supposed to be the cool friend if you always shoot me down every time I try to be smart?"

"Stop 'trying' and actually be smart," Nico told him simply, smirking, as Percy put his hand to his chest dramatically.

"Wow, actually wow, I am offended by this!"

"You'll get over it," Nico muttered back sarcastically. Percy dropped his hand as he laughed and shook his head.

"You're right."

When Silena, the baker that had served the two of them when they first were there, came out, she smiled widely at the sight of them.

"Look at you two, I swear, you two are only coming here for free cake for the amount of times I've seen you," she spoke softly, finishing with a wink as a man with chocolate skin came out holding two trays of different cake slices on them. He placed them on the table with a smile as he whipped his hands on his apron. "This is my husband, Charles. He didn't believe me last time that you two were here, so I told him that he was to serve if he wanted to see."

"Even thought I'm better left unseen," he said with a small smile playing at his lip, his arms and jaw line riddles with scars, part of his face looking like it had been burned. Silena beside her husband really stood out. She was flawless, not a single pore or blemish visible, but Charles had obviously taking the opposite route when it came to looks, whether it was his choice or not.

"Oh, don't talk like that," Silena swatted him with a small towel she had in pocket. "You are gorgeous, and if not, I have enough looks for the both of us."

Just from watching them, you could tell they were truly in love.

"Well," Percy cleared his throat and straightened his posture to seem more formal as he hid his expression, "I know it's hard to believe that I, Percy Jackson, would be here, but it is true."

"You can spray him with water if he acts up, if you want. I'm still training him," Nico said nonchalantly as he grabbed the first piece of cake. Percy's eyes went wide as he stared at his friend with his mouth hung open. He had to idea how to respond to what Nico had said. But Charles was in a full belly laugh, his eyes closed, head thrown back, and all.

Silena put her hand on Charles' shoulder as she shook her head in disappointment, but still finding a small smile creep up on her lips.

"You two, stop it. I will be back in a few to make sure that all is going well. Now, call if you need anything in the mean time." And with that, both Silena and Charles were on their way out, Silena still shaking her head at Charles whom was still trying to keep it together.

They took their time, going back and forth between five different flavors, knowing they would have to narrow it down to at least three. By the time Silena had come back around to see them, the two men had ruled out one more kind, knowing that Will wasn't all that big on triple chocolate. With a simple smile, she wrote down their top four, saying that when Nico came back with Will the next time, she will have those four ready for him to try.

Annabeth and the others had already been waiting outside by the time they waved goodbye to her and her shop once more, Percy smiling as he kissed Annabeth's cheek, telling her that he would see here at him. He had left the group to once again drag Nico around.

The next stop was to look at menu options. Katie already had an idea, taking the group and Nico to the caterer that she had booked for her wedding. She already waved off any worries Nico had, telling him that he was the best you could get, money and all.

And when Nico walked into restaurant, he knew instantly that Katie had not spoken a single lie.

"This guy is my best friend's cousin, and honestly, he is the best," she whispered to him as she smiled widely at the man who was wiping his hands onto his pants, walking her way. They embraced in a tight hug, both over joyous at the sight of the other.

"I missed you," the man spoke softly to Katie as they pulled apart. She smiled as she backed up. The man walked over to Nico and put his hand out. "And you must be Nico, the one we are here for today."

"Yeah," Nico replied with a smile, shaking the man's hand.

"I'm Huston, and I'll show you around and a few samples I whipped up."

They got through everything in record time, and while it was nice to have the opinions of his friends there to help him out, as he sat at the table listening to Huston and Annabeth talk about how things would go smoothly, he felt distant from the rest. He picked at the entree that he had placed in front of him, taking deep breaths, telling himself that Will was busy with work.

But they managed to finish what they were doing, Annabeth and the rest of them writing down and planning as they moved to the next place. Reyna had led the group to multiple stores as she showed Nico different ideas for when it came to wedding decoration. They had the venue for both the ceremony and reception picked and booked, so all they had to do was figure out how it was going to look.

Will already had so many ideas that he simply gave them to Reyna and told her to get Nico to have some input, so that's what she did. She dragged him around and pointed out neat and cute ideas that they could do.

As Nico aimlessly wondered around, he found himself in the corner of an older section of the story. He was running his hand along the spine of a book that looked to be older than him, but that might have been just the dust that had collected on it and made its home.

"Nico?" he heard Reyna call out to him. He turned around to face her, hand still lingering on top of the book.

"Yeah?" he replied, softer than he intended.

"You okay? You seem a little off today," she pointed out, walking up to him to stand by his side.

Nico nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine... Just..." he tried to find the words, but as they left his mouth, they seem to permanently leave him.

"'Just'?" she asked cautiously.

"Just," Nico tried again, this time sighing, "I guess I just don't know what I should expect, what I am expecting, you know? With all of this? I'm just sort of lost, is all. I thought I would be going through this stuff Will, he knows what he's doing. But me? I have no idea. And I'm grateful for everything you all have done for me, really, I guess I'm just not used to any of this yet.

"And what am I supposed to do once we figure all of this out? Will seems so ready for this, but me, I'm not sure how to go about any of this. I guess I'm just feeling lost and confused."

"How about after all of this, you focus on being married for starters," Reyna suggested with a soft tone that made Nico remember in that exact moment why she was one of his best friends. She was always there for him, no matter what, he couldn't think of anyone other than her to be by his side for all these years. "For now, just picture how you want your wedding to look."

"Well," he spoke gingerly, looking around the area he was in until he realized that his hand was still on the book, "how about something about books?"

"Books?" Reyna asked, trying to figure out where he was coming from.

"Yeah," he said more confidently, "that's how we met and where we got to know one another better."

"That damn book store," she spoke mostly to herself, smiling slyly as she shook her head.

"And maybe some sort of coffee station to represent the cafe?"

"Now you are getting it!"

Nico smiled as he looked back to the book his hand was resting on. This was it, it was really hitting him. He was getting married to his best friend, and he was going to show everyone just how it had happened.

...

"Honestly, after a while of wearing a suit constantly, it really starts to lose its charm, huh?" Will asked as he eyed himself in the mirror. He pulled on his suit jacket and started to raise a brow at himself, smirking as he checked himself out, fixing his hair a bit.

"We get it, Will," Nico started, rolling his eyes as he set his phone on the kitchen table behind him as he leaned on his with his legs crossed, "you wear fancy outfits all the time. Anyway, I just texted Katie, she said that her sister is running a bit late with her nephew, so we don't have to rush traffic."

"I can't believe Katie asked you two be her flower girl - I mean boy," Will corrected himself, but he mainly said it just to bug him. Nico rolled his eyes as he watched as his fiance walked up to him, allowing the blonde to take his hand as he reached out for it.

"She didn't exactly ask me to be her flower boy, she wants me to walk her nephew down while he does it," Nico stated, raising a brow as Will stood there with his smug smile as he didn't believe a single word.

"You know she only said that because she wanted an excuse for you to be her flower boy. The nephew is just a cover." Nico rolled his eyes at his fiance, knowing that he was right. "Anyways, if you were a girl, she would have most likely made you her Maid of Honor."

"I'm surprised she didn't in the first place," Nico joked back, smiled comfortably next to Will, their hands interlocked with on another. "I would have rocked that dress."

As they stood there, about to leave for Katie's wedding, it was nice for once to sit back and not worry about their own wedding. This day they were focused on Katie and her special day. Just being able to relax for the first time in a while and get their mind off of all that was plaguing them was enough.

After what felt like a life time, Nico reached for his phone after it buzzed behind him. He typed something quickly and sent it.

"We should probably head out now, she wants us to meet up as early as possible to go over last minute details," Nico said as he placed his phone into his pocket, looking back up to his blonde fiance with a soft smile.

"Good idea," he said in return.

Will stepped away and went over to the counter and grabbed the keys as Nico put his shoes on, grabbing his own suit jacket that laid on the table. With a nod, the two of them headed off and made their way to Katie's wedding.

...

The ceremony went by in a flash, everything seeming perfect. Katie's hair and dress was the highlight of the event, her and Travis' vows made almost everyone tear up. Will wasn't going to lie that he saw Nico walk down that aisle that he could almost see their day fast approaching, that same man walking down towards him, all eyes on him the entire time.

But after that thought popped into his head, the next one seemed even crazier; as he saw Nico walk hand-in-hand with the five year old that threw out flower pedals in hand fulls, each one being dropped at his side as he trotted beside Nico whom held the basket with the rest on them, he image of Nico with a child was one that he couldn't get out of his mind. His hand fit perfectly within the smaller one, his caring smile and gentle eyes sending chills down Will's spine.

But what really got him, the real epiphany that hit Will all at once was when Nico held the child at the end of the aisle, making small faces to calm the antsy child. Before he could dwell too much into it, the ceremony had swept him up and pulled him away from his thoughts.

Once the ceremony was finished, the guests exited and headed towards the area where the reception would be held. Will stayed back to help the rest of the wedding party, making his way to Nico who still held on to the child.

"You look good with children," Will spoke aloud, smirking as he approached him, hands in pocket.

Nico bounced the child lightly as he watched him, his eyes staying on the child a bit longer before turning to the blonde.

"Nah, not really, I'm not really good with children at all." He smiled crookedly. "You on the other hand," he finished with a knowing smile Will's way after he continued to attempt to get the child to look at him. Will watched with light in his eyes as he watched Nico interact with the small child, bringing his hand to his mouth when the child swings his hand and hits Nico square in the face.

"Oh, that's enough, small one," Will said as he took the child from Nico's arms and cradled him in his own. Nico watched in awe at how amazing Will was with the child. He didn't scream or cry, he simply looked up at Will and stared.

"I know, Thomas, I know," Nico talked to the baby as if he could fully understand him. With a smile, he failed to spare Will a glance. "He's pretty isn't he? That's why I'm marrying him."

Will just watched as Nico continued to interact with the baby from where he was. This was it, this was all Will wanted. If this was his, he wouldn't have a word to complain.

...

The reception was wild. It was everything Nico could imagine and more. Katie claimed she had no idea what she was doing, but standing in the middle of the dance floor with Travis, her new husband, and Will was enough to tell Nico that she knew exactly what to do to pull it off.

Travis and his brother Conner had proven to be the center of attention when the two of them started to dance to "Barbie Girl," Travis lip-syncing Ken's lines while Conner took over the role of Barbie herself. By the end of the night, everyone was screaming and hollering as the night went on, not a single person left that night without some sort of permanent memory, whether that was Conner's new scar he got that night on his wrist or the pounding headache Nico found himself having as the night died down.

But before it cold fully sink in, causing them to have to leave, Will grabbed Nico by the waist, and slowly rocked him back and forth to the slow rhythm.

"This was an amazing night," Nico muttered into his finace's dress shirt, suit jacket long forgotten and vest discarded after using it to help stop Conner's bleeding.

"It was," Will spoke back, resting his forehead on top of Nico's head, resting and relaxing into the scent of his shampoo. "And we get to do it again soon."

"Don't remind me," Nico replied after making a small noise at the back of his throat.

Will laughed.

"Why not?" he asked, head up and alert, unlike the body that was barely standing against him.

Nico sighed but smiled.

"I don't know what I'd do once I get in this situation. Look at them, everything seems so... right, but for me, I don't know, I just feel so lost." Nico sighed as he rested his head back on Will's head with a soft thud. "I know it's not what you want to hear, me second guessing our wedding - at a wedding, but... I don't know, I'm just lost, scared, I guess."

Will chuckled softly.

"God, I'm so glad you feel that way," he said, causing Nico to look up and meet his eye.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. Why was Will glad that Nico was second guessing the wedding?

"Because," he started, looking down to meet Nico's eye, the light catching his eyes perfectly, "I thought I was the only one going through these thoughts. I'm glad you feel like this, too." He smiled and leaned down, taking his lips with his own. "I love you," he whispered.

And as Nico rested his head back on Will's chest, the music moving them like they haven't got a care in the world, Nico released a breath he hadn't known he had left in him.

"I love you, too."

...

"Do you really have to leave?" Nico asked, trying his best to not fiddle with his fingers as Will went around making sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

"I'm sure," he insisted, standing in the middle of the empty space between the kitchen and living room. His back was facing Nico, his strong silhouette illuminated by the morning sun.

Nico hated these mornings, the early mornings that would come all too fast, leaving him with a gross taste in his mouth. These mornings were few, but they happened all too much for Nico's liking, even if it was only was four a year.

"I hate it when you leave," Nico spoke aloud as Will finished his rounds. The blonde stopped and turned to face him, a weak smile finding its way onto his chapped lips. Even though he was smiling, his eyes weren't.

If it were another day, one that just wasn't today, he would have been fine, but this one stung harder and longer than when he had gone over seas for two months. Will wasn't going to be gone for long for shooting, just under three weeks, but those days were going to stretch out and choke him.

They weren't going to see each other till their wedding, that is what stung the most. And it wouldn't even be the day of, it would be when the ceremony begins. As a groom sees his bride for the first time in her dress, Will will be seeing his groom for the first time in just under a month.

And it stung. It stung unlike anything either of them had ever felt.

"You're going to make this harder on me," Will managed to breath out, his words airy and lacking the usual life. It was hitting them both.

"I don't know how I'm going to do the rest of this without you," Nico continued to say, each time meaning more than the last.

"Nico," Will tried again, stepping towards his fiance.

"I wont see you until the day," Nico said as his vision blurred.

"Stop it."

"You wont be here beside me until then."

"Enough."

Will was directly in front of Nico, his strong scent sparking something within him. It was heavy, yet light, as if a flame had ignited within. He looked down at the smaller man and gave the closet thing to a smile as he could, but the ends of his lips shaky.

He pulled his face close and kissed him, not letting him go.

...

2:39 AM

It had been the fifth time he had checked the clock in the passed three minutes, each time he hoped that it would read morning, or a week and a half from now.

He wasn't sure how long he had kept up like this within the past few days, but the more it happens, the worse he gets, which causes it to happen again, creating one huge never ending circle of suffering. He hated it, but what could he do?

Nico sat up with a sigh and looked at his feet where one of his cats had curled up into a ball and passed out, not giving him a second look at the shift in the bed. He kicked his feet off the side of the bed, the urge to jump not fully there.

It was late, he couldn't bother anyone. Will needed his sleep, Reyna was busy with everything, Annabeth had been sick lately so there went Percy as well. Katie had just gotten married, Micheal had a test in the morning, and Rachel had just gotten back from filming. He felt alone, and the bed hadn't felt this empty since Will had slept on the couch.

His nerves were kicking in, anxiety starting to take over. He didn't want it to, but he knew it was only a matter of time until it felt like he couldn't breath. With his last year of university already started, the wedding, and his new book being released in less than three months and not everything had been finished, his stress level was his final blow.

He got up and sat on the couch, the cold floors being a friendly reminder that he was awake. So, there he sat, legs clinging to his body as he sat in the dark, the occasional car driving by and casting a ray of light on the walls. And he was cold, but not literally, it was like his internal temperature had gone down without him knowing, like he was freezing from the inside out.

And there it is, the final sinking feeling that made him want to throw up. It had finally hit and there was no one he could call or turn to. At least that's what he thought. He knew there was only one person he could call that would understand and know what to do, but was it worth it?

Nico knew that even though the voices in his head were telling him that he shouldn't bother, he knew he did. So, as he felt the air leaving his lungs, he reached for his phone and quickly dialed Reyna.

It rang.

It rang.

It rang.

It rang-

"Nico?" Reyna asked from the other end, her voice groggy and full of sleep. "You do understand what time it is, right?"

"Reyna," Nico managed to say, only the littlest of noise coming out. Right away Nico heard shifting from the other side, alerting him that she had sat up.

"Nico? Are you okay? What's going on?"

"I can't breath," Nico stuttered, holding his legs closer to his body.

There was silence on the other end for what felt like an eternity, but when Reyna simply said, "I'm on my way," Nico snapped back into reality like an elastic band. He heard the line go silent and he let his hand to limp, the phone falling. Nico shrunk his body down and wrapped his arms back around his legs and rested his head, breath heavy and uneven.

It was only fifteen minutes later when Reyna walked through the door, throwing her own pair of keys on the table. She had insisted on her own pair after Nico's last anxiety attack, but when she saw his state, she knew right away that this was nowhere's near as light as the other one had been.

"Oh, Nico," she managed to choke out as she rushed over, Rachel following behind her. Reyna had insisted on Rachel meeting her over, knowing that Nico needed more than just one person there. She had agreed and rushed over, calling a few people on her own.

His face was red and blotchy from crying, his breath was hitched. He was choking on air.

Reyna ran over and wrapped her arms around the shell of a man and held him close. She whispered soft words as he seemed half grounded in reality.

Rachel took a deep breath in, not knowing what to do. She knew Nico had anxiety attacks from Will, but seeing one left her almost as breathless as Nico was. She ran over to the sink and grabbed a cup, filling it up and bringing it over to Nico right away.

"Here," she said softly, her face full of concern and matching Reyna's. The two girls looked at one another and spoke without words, both knowing one part of the whole story just by observing. "I called Malcolm, Katie, and Annabeth. Annabeth might not be able to make it over, but Malcolm and Katie both said they were on their way."

Reyna nodded as she took in her own shaky breath.

"Thanks, can you get a wet cloth from the bathroom please?"

With no sign of hesitation, Rachel rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a facecloth off of the shelf and turned on the water full blast to cold. She tapped her foot as she flicked the water, cursing that it wasn't cold enough.

"C'mon," she spoke with haste. With a heavy sigh, she stuck the fabric under the water the moment it got cold enough.

She rushed out of the bathroom and down the small hall to the living room where she tossed Reyna the washcloth. She smiled and nodded hardly as she quickly placed it on the back of Nico's neck, hoping to shock his nerves a bit. Reyna grabbed a blanket off of the back of the couch and wrapped it around Nico, holding him tight once again.

After a few moments passed, Malcolm was rushing through the door, his hair disheveled from just waking up, his glasses not even on properly.

"Is Nico okay?" he asked as he removed his coat and shoes, placing them off to the side somewhere.

"Yeah," Rachel informed him, "he's doing a little better now."

"That's good," he sighed a breath of relief. "I was really worried."

"Sorry to call you so late into the night," Rachel apologized, rubbing her face as a wave of tiredness rushed over her suddenly.

"No, I'm glad you did. He's been acting weird lately, so this was bound to happen again." He smiled flatly at her before he turned to where Nico had managed to sit back on his own, Reyna only having her hand resting on his knee.

Katie was the next one to arrive, her hair also in every direction, but even worse than the others. She had a bit of left over makeup that didn't wash off completely from the night before smudged under her eyes, making her bags stand out more.

Everyone slowly made their way over to the couch, everyone taking a spot on it or the chair beside. The lights in the house were all on at that point, the street lights adding to the warm environment.

"You guys didn't have to come," Nico managed to mew out, his voice sounding dry so Reyna passed him the cup of water. He thanked her with a weak smile.

"There is no way we would have left you all by yourself like this," Katie said with a voice of silk, her smile just as soft.

"Seriously," Rachel agreed with a set mind. "You needed friends and we came. You're stressed right now, so we are here to de-stress you."

Nico smiled as he met Rachel's eyes as she sat beside Reyna on the couch. Katie found her way on the ground, sitting cross-legged.

"It's tough to be about to get married and not have anyone here with you," Reyna spoke gently, squeezing his knee to show him that she was there for him. Nico smiled back.

"It is stressful and tiring, but enough about the bad! We are all here together late at night, let's turn the T.V. on, grab some snacks, and stay up till the sun is high in the sky!" Katie exclaimed, standing up as she headed to their kitchen, looking through their snack drawers.

"Ooo," Rachel piped up as she rushed to the kitchen, "we need things to drink!"

"Guess I'll pick the movie," Malcolm said as he heaved himself out of the chair he was sitting in and wobbled over to where Will and Nico kept their movie collection. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them it is."

Nico smiled softly to himself as he watched his friend move about his apartment this late into the night. They were there for him even when they didn't have to be. They could have ignored him or said they were busy, but instead they all rushed over and made sure he was okay. He may not have had a lot of close friends, but the ones he did were there for him.

Katie set down every piece of junk food she could find on the ground in bowls, bags toppling over, unable to stand on their own. She ran around until she managed to grab enough blankets and pillows for everyone, Rachel returning with cans of pop from the fridge as well as hot chocolate.

"This is a girls' night," Katie explained while she set everything up as the movie's opening features started to play.

Malcolm coughed dramatically.

"Oh, shut up," she said sarcastically, "there's more girls than boys so you have to deal with it."

Nico laughed gently as he slowly gained his breath back. He smiled as he watched them bicker back and forth, reaching for a chip.

As the movie started to play, everyone turned their attention to the screen, the arguing finding a close. The night flickered on, and by half way through the movie, Nico had passed out on the couch, hand dangling off of the side. Rachel had also passed out while Malcolm and Reyna blinked heavy lidded eyes. By the end of the movie, though, there wasn't a single open eye in the apartment, everyone welcoming sleep with open arms.

And that night, despite the awful position and the sugar running through his system, Nico managed to have the best nights sleep he had gotten in a long time. He didn't know if it was because he was so tired that his body passed out on him or that he was surrounded by his friends, but what he did know was that he was going to make it through the rest of the days, even if he was alone.

...

"Do you have everything?" Nico asked frantically, wide eyes staring at Percy who held his hands up.

"Yes," he insisted, fixing his cuff when he put his hands down, still cautious of the frantic groom.

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive," Percy said as he took a deep breath in, nodding his head.

"Really?"

"Want me to get Annabeth?" Percy asked, doubting himself at this point, unsure if he really was sure. Malcolm just rolled his eyes and shook his head in the background as he listened to their conversation, smirking.

"Yes," Nico partially demanded.

With a frantic nod and a worried expression, Percy rushed off, running around the corridors of the old, almost gothic church.

"Nico," Malcolm started, one end of his lip turning upwards as he effortlessly walked over to where Nico was sitting, "you need to calm down, you need to breath."

"Breath?" Nico repeated, grabbing the back of his chair and turning around. "Malcolm, I'm about to get married, I can't breath!"

"Yes you can," Reyna said flatly as she threw an empty water bottle at Nico's head. "You are just worrying too much. Annabeth has got this. Her and Piper have everything running smoothly, your job is to be calm and have fun."

"Be calm or have fun, which one is it because I can't have both," Nico spoke back, looking back to the mirror with a worried expression.

Reyna sighed heavily as she stood up from off of her chair, her purple dress hugging her body nicely. It really was her colour.

"Stop being such an idiot, Nico. You are about to get married to literally your childhood celebrity crush. Will is probably in the other room freaking out just as much as you are."

"I highly doubt that," Nico huffed, resting his chin on his hand as he stared back into the mirror, trying to count his flaws, "Will is perfect under pressure. I bet he isn't even fazed a little."

...

"Annabeth," Will stressed, his voice cracking, "I'm freaking out!"

Annabeth put her hairbrush down with a heavy sigh.

"You're going to be fine," she spoke softly, turning to face the blonde. "You have nothing to worry about.

"But what if something goes wrong?" Will continued to worry, frantically playing with his hair which Piper slapped his hand for, grabbing the can of hair spray that was on the dresser in front of them.

"Then you have a wedding," Annabeth put plainly. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "It wouldn't be good luck if everything went perfectly."

"It's true," Piper piped in as she fixed Will's hair after he ruined it. "You need at least one thing to go wrong before it's over to make for a happy marriage."

"Did anything go wrong during your wedding, Annabeth?"

"Oh, plenty of things," she said with no care. She turned and smiled gently. "But I didn't panic. I had people that handled that, just like you have us."

"Totally, dude," Jason spoke up, walking beside Piper as he adjusted his glasses. "Anything you need, we got it."

"What I need is death," Will mumbled.

Just then Percy had burst through the door, panting. He smiled once he locked eyes with Annabeth.

"Baby, you are needed in the other room, pronto," he said in between breaths that came out in erratic patterns. Annabeth simply sighed and smiled, shaking her head as she stood up, her gold dress swaying as she moved with grace.

"I'll be right back, just have to check on Tweedledee," she said as she winked at Will.

"Why am I Tweedledum?!" was all Annabeth heard as she closed the door behind her with another heavy sigh. This wedding was giving her an early midlife crisis and it wasn't even her own wedding.

...

With a knock, Annabeth poked her head through opened door. "You called?"

"Oh Annabeth," Nico said as he stood up, his legs shaking. "Is everything here and in place?"

She smiled softly as she entered through the door fully, closing it behind her.

"Yes," she reassured him, placing a hand on his tense shoulder.

"I told you," Reyna spoke up, fixing her hair in her mirror before making her way over to meet up with the two of them. Both Annabeth and Reyna wore the same dress, a formfitting, floor length with a silver ribbon around their waist, just in different colours.

"I know, but still," Nico muttered as he started to pace around the room.

"Just think," Annabeth chimed in, "You get to see Will for the first time in almost a month."

A weighted breath left Nico as he thought about seeing the blonde again. It had been so long since he had last seen him that it almost made the pain worse, yet not in a way that hurt.

"But what if he doesn't want to see me?"

"Nico, get your head out of your ass, it's not a hat," Katie shouted as she finished her makeup. "Of course he wants to see you, he's been nervous tweeting this entire time, and the longer this goes on, the worse it gets."

Nico scratched his head as he tried to calm down. He shouldn't be this nervous, but he was. And it was frustrating.

"Just breath and I'll go see how much longer, 'cause if I keep this up, I'm going to be gray by the end of toady - if not by the ceremony," Annabeth muttered as she exited the room.

"You're going to be fine," Malcolm said as he patted his friend on the back.

"I know," Nico mumbled, "I just miss him."

...

Nico paced back and forth, only minutes before the whole thing started. He wanted to see Will, to marry him, but as time ticked by, his mind started to run wild, thoughts coming at him from all angles. He tried to take in a deep breath, but it came out shaky. Nico closed his eyes and shook his hands, trying to calm his nerves. He was brought back to the moment when a strong pair of hands fell on his shoulder.

"Dad," he managed to say as his voice came out airy. He sighed in relief before once again being flooded by his thoughts.

"Son," Nico's father spoke, his voice deep and rich, yet it held a sort of sadness, "I am proud of you."

Nico let out a noise the was akin to a cry as he rushed into his father's arms, his strong arms wrapping around his little boy.

"You look so much like your mother," he said slowly as he pulled his hug away, a hand still fainting on his shoulder. He sighed and shook his head. He smiled, but it was sad. "Especially like she did on our wedding day all those years ago." He paused to find his words. "I love your step-mother, Persephone, but when I saw your mother, Nico, I knew she was the only one I ever wanted to be with. And seeing you here today, seeing you about to get married yourself, I am reminded of the moment I first saw her walking down the aisle."

"Dad..." Nico mumbled, getting emotional all over again in a new way. He had never seen his father as vulnerable as he was standing there before him.

"Now," he straightened his back, voice going back to its booming power, only a bit more gentle, "it's about time to start, how about it?"

"Yeah," Nico agreed, smiling as he wiped away a single tear that had found its way out. "It's about time, isn't it?"

...

Will stood at the front, finding every moment to fiddle with his suit, stressing and worrying about every single thing, hoping and praying that nothing goes wrong. His mother and father smiled from the first row, beaming as they watched their once little boy standing before a crow of people, ready to say his vows. Even though they were shaking their heads at his nerves, they still couldn't help but love every minute of it.

And when the music started, everyone stood, and Will's heart picked up to record breaking speeds. All eyes were painted on the entrance as Will's younger sister (whom bagged to have the role despite being too old) entered, carrying both a small bunch of flowers and the rings, leading the wedding party that followed.

Reyna and Octavian kicked off the main wedding party, the Maid of Honor and the Best Man setting thing underway. Will would never admit out loud, but even though he fought with Octavian every other event, he was one of his longest friends, the two of them staring together as children in an ABC sitcom show when they both were getting started.

Being beside Octavian emphasized Reyna's beauty, but she just had that way with people in general. She might keep her hair away from her face and dress in only two colours, catch her on the right night and you would mistake her for the movie star.

When they reached the end, Octavian elbowed Will with a smirk as Katie and Jason followed next. The two smiled and smirked at one another, having a silent conversation as they walked down the aisle. Piper and Malcolm were next, Will's side following the gold colour with Piper arm-in-arm with Malcolm in a stunning golden dress that hugged her curves while Malcolm's tie was a brilliant lavender.

The torch was passed to Percy and Annabeth as they couldn't help but feel like proud parents as they walked down, staring Will directly in the eye as the man moved awkwardly in place. Malcolm and Percy bumped fist as he found his place in line with Piper and Annabeth carrying out their own silent conversation from the other side.

There was one last couple to walk down before Nico headed out with his father whom insisted on walking him when he found out he was going to go through with it, saying that he never got the chance with Bianca so he wasn't letting Nico slip away so easily.

He had agreed. If you had asked, he would have said that he was reluctant, but he would never admit that he had felt like he had never been happier, as it meant so much to him.

Through all the drama that had happened, Nico was the one to suggest Will's final wedding party. He had been surprised, but as the months weaved in and out, him and Drew had gotten on a lot better terms. With Rachel being his last person, she and Drew closed off the last bit before everyone truly tuned in.

As the music changed and everyone - mainly Will - held their breath, is was as if all the air in the room had been taken out when Nico cracked the corner. Will knew how gorgeous his fiance was, but he wasn't sure if it was the moment, the music, or just dust in his eyes and the lack of sleep, but he fought back tears, having one managing to slip out.

Octavian dabbed his eyes with his pocket tissue that he always had for some reason, a mystery that Will had never figured out since the moment they met, and shoved it away.

Nico's father was easily six-feet-tall, and compared to Nico, whom obviously took after his mother, he looked even more delicate than before. Side-by-side, they looked so much alike, both holding the same intensity in their eyes that could peer into your soul.

But none of that mattered to Will. Nico was getting closer and he was forgetting his own name or even the reason why he was there in the first place. It felt like years for Nico's father to hand him over, yet Will didn't want it to stop. He wanted that walk to last forever.

They hadn't seen each other in almost a month, so standing at the alter, with everyone watching them, all they wanted to do most in the world was to just be with the other, to hold him, to love him. But they could only do some much, so Will simply settled with reaching out and grabbing Nico's soft hands with his shaky ones.

Nico smiled, his hair falling perfectly over his eyes as part of his was pushed back. Will felt weak.

"Hi," Nico whispered, his voice shaky and raspy.

"Hey," was all Will was able to manage in return.

The ceremony had started and was underway as the words simply washed over them, neither of them really able to pay attention.

It went by like a blur until the vows came. Will was the one to go first. He smiled nervously as he cleared his voice, looking Nico directly in the eyes. He loved that man and he was going to tell him and the whole world it there that day.

"Nico," he started, his mouth going dry as he tried to speak, "I have so much to say, and even if I managed to find a way to express it, there wouldn't be enough time to ever finish." He paused for a moment before collecting his breath. "I have done many things in my life time, and I've been blessed to continue to do them. But as I stand here in front of you today, none of that matters because you will always be my greatest journey.

"From the moment I met you to the moment I, well, met you-" the crowd started to chuckle slightly "-I have just been going through life. But from the moment I truly got to know you, everything seems so new. Waking up beside you to simply texting you, everything makes me feel so lost. But that's okay because you're my light and you guild me. Nico, I promise to love you and to hold you until my dying breath. I promise to stand by your side even when we are worlds apart. I promise that you will never shed a sad tear for me, that I will be the one to pick you up off of the ground when you fall.

"Nico di Angelo, I love you with every ounce of my being and I never want to go a day without you by my side."

As Will slid the gold and white wedding band on Nico's finger, even though the room was so silent you could hear the rattling of the vents from down that hall, Nico was deafened by the sound of his beating heart. He was moments away from tears, and the longer he thought of Will's words the less control he had.

They had agreed to write their own, and after listening to Will's, he felt like his was worth nothing.

"I don't know how to follow that up," Nico managed to say, earning a hardy laugh from the crowd. He took a deep, shaky breath in before he started. "Will," he started, just the same as he did before, "years I had spent watching you from afar. You were everything that ever could happen and would happen all rolled into one. You were the sun that came out even when the storm was raging with no clear end in sight. You took my breath away yet gave me life, everything you did was a battle between 'take and give,' and I always lost.

"To think that one small action would snow ball and lead me to you, but against all odds, against everything that made sense, I managed to find my way to you and you were willing to let me in with everything that I brought with me. I know it might sound crazy, but I can't think of a time when you weren't involved in my life. Even when you were a endless garden and I was simply a tiny spider, you paved my way with every action. I love you, Will. I never say that enough. I could say it every second of every day and I would still feel the need to make up the time before I met you. I love you so much that even words won't work for me to describe it.

"I never want to see you hurt, I never want to see you cry, I never want to see you lonely. Will, I will always be by your side. I'll stand by you even if the world is caving in, I will love you even if the world is ending. I will be your light when you are lost, when you are in the dark. I love you, Will Solace, and I don't want you to ever forget that."

Will's lopsided smile was as large as it has ever been. He didn't care if they got married, he didn't care if they weren't even engaged, if he got to stay by his side forever in one way or another, he would be happy.

Nico struggled to get Will's ring on, his hands too shaky to aim properly. Will half laughed as he gently grabbed Nico's hand to help guild him, Nico's face blowing up from embarrassment.

"And that's why he's the writer," Will added once both rings were on their fingers. The crowd once again found comfort in the nervous comedy that was going on.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband," the officiant said as Will and Nico fought to keep it together for a little bit longer, "you may now kiss your groom."

And with no time to spare, Will leaned in and took Nico's face, their lips crashing together. Under normal circumstances, Nico would have hated the applause and cheering, but just the familiar warm feeling was enough to make him not care. He was married now to the man he never thought was ever going to love him back. He felt like he was living one of his books, that he was going to wake up any minute now. But as Will fixed his grip on Nico as they locked lips in front of their friends and family, Nico enjoyed every last moment he was awake for and wrapped his arms around Will's neck, pulling him in.

...

It had finally happened.

Nico and Will were finally married.

As they walked into the reception, everyone cheered and clapped as they entered hand-in-hand, two gold rings shined from either finger, showing off what had felt like a long time coming.

Neither Will nor Nico could believe that it had finally happened. They were married and walking into their reception, something neither of them could ever possibly imagine - even as it happened!

Even as everyone stood and applauded them, they couldn't hear anything other than their heartbeats racing in their ears, the sound of the other breath, the beat of the music. They were deaf to anything other than each other.

"I can't believe we are finally married," Will mumbled to Nico as they stood in their own world surrounded by the rest.

"I know, I can hardly believe any of this is happening," Nico replied, voice cracking but he didn't care.

"Introducing Mr and Mr Solace-di Angelo!" the man over the speaker called out, and the sound of everyone got louder. "Gather around for the newly weds first dance as a married couple."

There was a hush that fell over the crowd as Nico and Will faced one another, isolating them even further from everyone else in the room.

"After you, Mr. Solace-di Angelo," Nico said as Will put his hand around his waist.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Solace-di Angelo," Will replied with the same amount of giddy that Nico possessed. Neither of them could keep their smiles off of their face, so when the music started, everyone else in the room disappeared.

Their song was one that both of them managed to agree on, something more classic for Will, yet just enough edge for Nico not to feel too sappy. It took a while for them to get Annabeth on board with their song, but after some explaining, they managed to get her on their side for Can't Help Falling in Love, recorded by Twenty One Pilots.

Now, a lot of people might have found it to be cheesy, but the song held a lot of meaning for them, it told of their story, how their relationship came to be. Down to the first word, everything spoke true. So as they danced in each other's arms, everything fell into place. The world could fall apart around them and they wouldn't notice or even care.

But just as it was over, it had ended, the crowd cheering once more as they just stayed in one another's arms, the warmth being the only thing they needed in the world.

...

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this," Nico said dryly as he rolled his eyes after Will wrapped his arm around his waist.

"You agreed to this," Will replied with a smug smile, nudging Nico with hip.

"Whatever," Nico let out a sigh as he stared out at the small house in front of them. "But did we really have to move so soon?"

"Of course!" Will explained, turning to Nico as he took his hands in his own. "We are a family," he explained, smiling softly as he looked up at the house in front of them. "I grew up in a house, so now that we are married, I want to continue that."

"Family, really? Nothing's changed other than the fact that we are married now," Nico said as he raised a brow at Will. "All we have is us and the three cats, I wouldn't really call that a 'family.'"

"But we are! Official we are a family," Will spoke as he gestured to the house.

"But weren't we before?" Nico regretted saying after the words left his mouth as his ears went red. Will simply smiled as he brought his forehead to rest on Nico's.

"We were," Will told him with a soft hush in his voice, "but now it's official to everyone else."

"Whatever," Nico rolled his eyes again.

"Anyway," Will said as he eyed the structure once again, "now that we have all this space, we must fill it some how."

"Will, no," Nico spoke with a sudden caution towards Will. The blonde simply smirked.

"Will, yes."

...

"I hate you," Nico said.

"No you don't," Will corrected him with a cheery smile, almost too proud of himself.

"I can't believe you did this."

"I don't know what you mean," Will said as he looked anywhere but at Nico who stood in front of him wearing baggy, worn out clothing. His hair was pushed back with a headband and his hands smelt like cleaner.

"Will!" he exclaimed, raising his hands in frustration. "You can't just go out and buy a dog whenever you feel like it!"

"But he likes you," he said softly as a tiny black lab stood at Nico's feet, running in and out of his legs, trying to lick him through his clothes. Nico simply stood with his arms crossed as he refused to cut his glare.

"I don't care if he likes me or what, Will, we already have three cats, we can not have a dog on top of that!" He took a step forward, making sure not to step on the dog. "I have been cleaning all day while you've been at work and you come home with a dog? You really think that that was a smart idea?!"

"Yeah..." Will spoke slowly as he watched his words, watching Nico flip out, turning on his heel, and leaving the room with a loud scream of frustration.

...

Getting a dog wasn't Nico's first idea, but as he and Will laid on their couch in their new living room, the T.V. echoing through the still empty spaces, everything snapped together. Cerberus - the name Nico forced on Will after agreeing to keep him after much persuasion - laid rolled in a ball at the base of the couch, snoring softly as a slight breeze rushed over the couple.

"It's cold," Will said as he yawned, blinking at the light from the television.

"Don't move," Nico muttered as he gripped Will's shirt with tired hands.

"I wasn't going to move," he told the mound that laid on his chest.

"Good," Nico managed to say just loud enough for Will to hear.

The creaking continued from the temperature outside changing, rattling the pipes and stirring the puppy.

"Don't you think it's quiet here?" Will pointed out after a few moments of silence with the background noise of the T.V. sounded.

"Maybe if you didn't buy such a big house then that wouldn't be a problem."

"It's not that big," Will blurted out in protest, dropping his chin to get a better look at Nico. "Well... it wouldn't be too big if there were more people living here."

Nico raised his head to look at Will with slightly confusion.

"What do you mean? It's only the two of us - and if you try and get another dog, you will be sleeping on the floor," Nico spoke as he watched Will, pausing for a small moment. "You better not be telling me that you want your parents to move in."

"No," Will responded with a small bound of laughter, his eyes glowing as his face slowly fell, something else coming to his mind, "not exactly."

"Then what do you mean?" Nico asked, raising his body up as he watched Will with intensity. He tried to understand what Will was getting at, but nothing was making sense. What did Will mean by other people? Did he want to get roommates? But if he thought it was too big himself also, then why did he insist on this place? Will's words weren't making much sense in a literal sense.

"I mean," Will paused to swallow something hard in his throat, "what if there was another pair of feet walking around?"

Will's heartbeat was going faster than he had ever felt it go before, his hearing becoming fuzzy as the pounding is all he heard. It rattled inside his mind, making his throat dry.

This time Nico sat completely up causing Cerberus to fuss around for a bit before jumped down off of the couch. As Nico rested his back on the arm of the couch, Will slowly sat up as well, neither looking away from the other.

"Wait," Nico started, trying to place his thoughts, "are you saying that... that..."

"That maybe I want kids, then yes."

There was a silence that fell over them, neither moving or speaking. It was as if a bomb had been dropped. No one wanted to be the first to say anything.

The air around them hung like a heavy cloud, sucking all of the energy out of the room.

"But what if I don't?" Nico finally asked in a small voice, trying to break his eye contact from Will in almost a shameful way.

Nico sat there in silence, this time it was his turn to not be able to breath.

As the sound of the television played in the background, both sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. This was never a topic that had come up in the past, one that they never bothered to bring up.

For Nico, this was a topic he knew that Will, given his childhood, would want. He always seemed like a big family man, someone that would enjoy to have three, maybe four children, but for Nico, he wanted nothing to do with that. It wasn't that he didn't like children, but it that he didn't know how to deal with children.

He had never been too good with kids. They would always cry when he held them, the would hide when he came around, and they never wanted to be left alone with him. Nico just didn't know how to handle children, and it left him not exactly wanting any of his own. He just thought that he wouldn't make a very good father, something he knew Will would be extremely good at, and it pulled him in either directions.

"Okay," was all Will said as he turned his attention back to the screen, his tired eyes forcing themselves open. And it hurt Nico.

...

"I'm so glad you two could come over," Annabeth said as she finished up washing a plate, sighing as she headed into the attached living room to grab her's and Percy's daughter who was trying to throw the television remote.

"Truly, and I know that Kelsey and Eli are glad to see you two again," Percy said as he bounced a newly born baby boy in his arms gently.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get over sooner, but between moving and work, we've been very busy," Will explained as he went into the living room to grab Kelsey from a tired Annabeth who looked like she hadn't slept for a week.

"Don't apologize, it's just nice to see people again," an equally tired Percy said with a smile as he yawned.

"Just be glad you can sleep while you can, 'cause once you have children, they never let you see your bed," Annabeth spoke as she headed back into the kitchen to finish cleaning from that morning. Will laughed softly before turning his attention back to the little girl in his arms.

"Hi," he spoke to her in a soft voice. "I don't think we really have to worry about that," he joked as he faced Percy who still sat at the kitchen table.

"You don't have to watch her too close, just make sure that she doesn't eat random things," Annabeth told Will with a small chuckle. "She's in that stage. It's a pain to chase her around to make sure she doesn't have random things in her mouth."

"Oh no," he laughed, turning his head to the small blonde girl with the same bright eyes as her father. "I remember when Kayla was in that stage. I got so mad because she tried to eat my comic books."

"Nerd!" Nico called out to which both Percy and Annabeth agreed with laughter.

"Listen! No one touched my Batman and got away with it, even if it was my little sister," he explained, waving his hands at the small child as she brought him a round red ball with a hobble in her diaper.

"Well, can I get you anything to drink?" Annabeth offered as she wiped her hands off, smiling at Will.

"Water's fine," he replied, "Thanks."

"No problem," she said with a smile, turning to Nico whom simply waved her a no with the shake of his head and hand.

Nico sat down on the couch and watched as Kelsey stumbled over her legs trying to catch the ball Will kept throwing.

"She's not a dog," Nico said.

"Not the way Percy treats her, I swear," Annabeth said under her breath, obviously loud enough for all to hear while trying to act secretive.

"Hey!" Percy called out, turning his head as he cradled Eli in his arms. The child started to fuse, making small wailing noises. "Ah crap - shhh, don't cry. Daddy is sorry for being too loud."

"Percy," Annabeth called out, "did you switch the laundry?"

"Oh shit," Percy aggressively whispered as he stood up. He quickly walked up to Nico and handed him Eli to which Nico simply stared at confusion at the baby. "Here, hold him for me for a hot sec." Before Nico could refuse or explain anything, he held the crying baby in his arms, too scared to move or do anything for that matter.

"What do I do with it?" he muttered under his breath as he looked down at the small child in his arms, his gray eyes beaming back at Nico as tears ran down his face. "It's okay, tiny one. I tend to cry a lot, too. It's better if you save your tears for a time that is truly needed. Trust me, you'll need them a lot."

Nico looked up at Will who was still paying attention to Kelsey. He hoped that he would notice him and see his struggle and take the crying child from his arms.

At first Nico was confused why Will hadn't been looking up at him. He thought for sure that the sound of a crying baby would cause Will to look over, but the longer he ignored him, the more Nico grew confused. It wasn't until he looked back down at Eli that he noticed that he hadn't been crying, that he had stopped. The baby laid peacefully in his arms for the past few moments.

It confused Nico even more, though. He wasn't good with children, why was this one no longer screaming? If he was a baby, even he would be crying - hell, he would be crying harder.

"Why aren't you crying any longer?" he asked the child, as if he could respond. But when he got a simple noise in return, he took his free hand and moved the blanket out of Eli's face. A small smile crossed his face when the child reached up and tried to grab his hand.

Annabeth sat beside Will on the ground, smiling and encouraging Kelsey when she came over with the ball. She handed Will his water as she leaned back to rest for a bit. She turned her head to watch Nico on the other couch.

"He's really good with Eli," she pointed out with a smile, tossing the ball back to Kelsey when she handed it over to her.

"Yeah," Will agreed, "he really is."

She turned to face the blonde who turned back to face her also.

"Are you two thinking of adopting or something?" she asked, smiling quickly back at Kelsey who flopped down on the floor.

Will shook his head after some hesitation, his expression turning slightly sad.

"Probably not, no," he told her, playing with Kelsey a bit. "He doesn't want any. That's why I come over here and steal your children."

"Why not? He's amazing with Eli, and Kelsey also loves him," Annabeth pointed out again, smiling at her daughter.

"I'm not too sure, he won't tell me. He doesn't like it when I bring it up."

"That's too bad," Annabeth said, resting her head on the couch behind her, closing her eyes for a moment.

As Nico watched the child in his arms, he couldn't help but smile. He was small, everything about his life hadn't been decided, yet it had. He had not does a single thing in his life beside exist, and the more Nico watched the poor baby bat his long eye lashes as he watched Nico with an awe that only babies held, something inside his changed.

He couldn't explain it, but as he sat there, holding the small child in his arms, he felt like he was going to cry. He had never been a big fan of babies, but as this one watched him, a lump formed in the back of his throat. He felt small, but looking at Eli, he felt like he could also take on the world.

"It's going to be okay," he told the child, but he was more telling himself. "Will, I hate you," Nico said loud, his voice almost breaking.

When Will looked up, he saw Nico fighting back tears with Eli in his arms. The soft light coming from his eyes let Will know exactly what he meant.

...

Even with just the two of them, the house was alive with sound - and also panic.

Nico frantically rushed around their house, going back and forth between rooms, double checking everything. This time it was Will's turn to shake his head at an anxious man running about.

"Nico," Will said with a small bout of laughter as he watched his husband go from one room to the other, "there is literally nothing to worry about. We've already made sure everything is ready."

"But - but-"

"Nico," Will spoke once more, holding the smaller male by his shoulders, "breath. Everything is going to be fine."

"It's just - I don't know if I'll be good at this whole thing, you know?" Nico said with a soft voice, his breath still heavy.

"You'll be fine." Will put his forehead on Nico's, staring him in the eye. "You don't have anything to worry about. You are going to be an amazing father and there is nothing that's going to change it."

"But what if I mess up? I'm not really a whole 'family' person, like you are. What if I screw something up and this child turns out a wreck?" Nico frantically asked, overthinking everything.

"You will not mess anything up. We haven't even picked him up yet. You literally cannot mess anything up at this point, and if you do, I'll be there for you to fall back on."

Nico smiled took a deep breath.

"Are you sure I'll be fine?" he asked once again to which Will responded by stealing a kiss.

"I am sure, Nico. I love you and you are going to be an amazing father, I promise," Will told him, taking his hand in his own.

"God, it feels like only yesterday I was a scared college student who didn't know how to handle my own feelings."

"Now look at us."

Nico smiled.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," Nico replied with a shaky breath. "Let's go get our son."

...

"See?" Will said as he laughed, trying to stay supportive. "I told you you would be fine."

"But I'm going to drop him," Nico explained, hands shaking.

"No you're not," Will told him as he set down the baby bag by the couch, taking the dog to the bedroom.

"Will!" Nico exclaimed. "Don't leave me alone!"

"I'm not leaving you alone," Will yelled back as the sound of the back door creaked. "I'm just letting the dog out."

"Will," Nico muttered as he stared back down at the small child in his arms, eye lashes long.

He looked around before sitting down on the couch. The silence was inviting, yet also threatening. Nico took a deep breath in before taking another look at his new son.

Son.

It was a strange word for Nico to use. He was a father and a husband. How was his life going so fast and so well? He felt like he was living in a dream. Never once did he think he would get to this point in life. Five years ago, Nico didn't know what he was going to do in a week, but here he was, child in hand wondering when his husband would come back with their dog to hold their new son.

"Luca," Nico started, "I promise no harm will ever come to you. I promise that all you will feel is love, that you will never know pain worse than loss. I will teach you to be brave, to be strong. You are growing up in a cruel world, a world where not everyone is loved. But just know, Luca Jenson Lee Solace-di Angelo, you will be okay because you are loved."

"You okay?" Will asked when he came into the living room, Cerberus at his side. He picked up Luca's bag and placed it on the coffee table.

"Yeah," Nico told him, "everything's okay."

...

"It was like yesterday they were children talking in front of a camera," Wanda, gossip news handler, said, smiling as she looked down at her cup.

"It's true," Stacy agreed, nodding as she dusted off her dress from imaginary dust. "It's amazing to watch them grow up and start their own families, but it really makes you feel old."

"I remember when the world was taken by storm by the news of their relationship and we first covered it," John, the man with a once neatly trimmed beard, spoke, his face clean.

"But once again Will is back in the spot light, especially with his new T.V. show coming out," Chris explained, shifting in his seat.

"It was sad to see him take some time off after he adopted his son, but seeing him and his husband raise him was worth it," Stacy added with a smile as everyone nodded in agreement.

"He sure has gotten quite cute, hasn't he?" John stated, which Wanda agreed with.

"He sure is becoming quite like Will in his attitude, too."

"He sure has," Chris said as he took a sip from his cup.

...

"Will!" Nico yelled, his hair tied up into a loose bun, stray hairs falling out as he typed away on his computer.

"Yeah?" he called back from the bathroom.

"Can you come get Luca, he's playing with the remotes again!"

"Why can't you?" Will asked with his toothbrush in his mouth, spitting as he stuck his head out of the door.

"I'm busy," Nico called out as he tapped his foot.

"So am I."

"Will!"

"Fine!"

Will came out with toothpaste all over his mouth.

"Come on, Angel, daddy's trying to write," Will said as he picked up his small son with both hands after Luca ran around the living room, laughing.

"Daddy looks funny," he said in between giggles.

"What? Is it my face or his hair?" Will asked his son as he hung upside down by his feet as Will lifted him up.

"Will, I'm right here," Nico growled.

"I know," Will replied with a sly smile.

In between giggles and then hiccups, luca said, "You both are funny!"

"Luca," Nico said, closing his laptop and turning towards his husband and son, "tell your father that if he doesn't get you off to bed, the spirit of nonna is gonna come and get you."

In a fit of giggles, Luca got down and rushed off to bed, screaming about how doesn't want nonna to get him.

"Nico," Will said in a huff as he shook his head at his husband, "don't scare our son with the ghost of your mother."

"How else am I going to do it? Yours is still alive," Nico said with a sly smirk. "Anyways, how's production going?"

Will fell on the couch with a huff. He yawned. "Tiring, but it's coming. The new book?"

"Tiring, but it's coming," Nico copied Will, the both of them laughing in a tired manner.

"I love you," Will said suddenly.

"That was random," Nico spoke with a slight chuckle.

"But it's true." Both of the smiled at one another, just enjoying the other's presence.

"I'm glad you're in my life," Nico told Will.

"I know," Will replied with a smirk.

"Hey, that's my line," Nico said as he threw a pillow at his husband in a childish manner.

"Daddy!" screamed Luca from his room. Both men looked at one another and stood up with a moan.

"After you, love," Will said with a slight bow of mockery.

"Fuck you," Nico said as he headed down the hall to their son's room with his husband, hand-in-hand.

Standing there, nothing seemed like it would fall apart. Everything fit together like a puzzle piece. Their family had come a long ways to get to where it was, to how it loved and protected one another. To them, it didn't matter what had happened or what was to come next. To them they were happy, they were safe, they were loved.

Right then, all was well, and to anyone that asked, the story of two boys that loved when no one else thought they could was the greatest love story to be ever told.

...

Oh my god. It's finished. I can't believe this.

Final words. I guess I should spew out my last thoughts and goodbyes here, huh?

I can't believe the amount of people shook from the announcement. You didn't know what was happening, but you were ready!

God, this story was a long time coming, a simply AU I had floating in my head for a while before I managed to give you the original five-part story almost a year and a half ago. Side Friend was a piece of writing I never thought would receive acknowledgement until the third chapter, and even then it would be two people, but from chapter two, I knew I had shown you all something special.

I wrote this story in such a weird order that when I finished writing it, it was the award scene half way through, and when I realized this, I had to take a moment to breath. And it wasn't even until a few hours after that did it really hit home that this story line was done.

I know some of you will want more, especially regarding some of the scenes, and the wedding scene was supposed to be huge, but after writing the first dance, I had to raise my hands off of the keys and stop. I couldn't touch it anymore. Everything feel into place.

I didn't have to write all this details, cuz you already know how it goes down. I could have written this to be twice as long, but I feel like that would be over doing it. This story was meant to be simple, originally meant to be a one-shot that got way out of hand.

The more I think of this story, the more I place right here to be my start. You all have been my push and my motivation through all of my writers block ( and shot out to those who came here from X. I currently have the skeleton blocked out for that, so get ready for that to return from the dead) You stood around for my weeks of absence and then days of multiply chapters. I had been starting high school when this came out and now I'm going into my senior year soon. It's incredible to watch this grow.

I will always hold this story in my heart, something I know quite a few of you have. So stick it out cuz I'm planning to flesh out the actual book of Side Friend for some time in the future. Nico and Will might have been able to put Noah, Jack, and Naomi behind them, but I'm not done with them. (Fun fact, Side Friend was actually based on loose events that actually happened and Noah is named after a real person who I saw for the first time in almost two years three weeks ago. Crazy right?)

Again, thank you to those just tuning in, those who came in in the beginning to have their hearts ripped out, and to those who started with the original five part story, those who had to watch and wait for everything to unfold while I bullshitted something that you guys came to love. Thank you for allowing me to create something so meaningful, and I hope I can continue on writing, fan fics and novels to come.

And for the final time,

Kitty out!